Pokemon Tournament
by ukrazian
Summary: A Pokemon Tournament involving OCs. Now complete, so read and enjoy!
1. Information on the Tournament

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon (unfortunately).

**Pokemon Tournament**

**BIG NOTE: SORRY FOR EVERYONE WHO DIDN'T GET A CHANCE TO SUBMIT OCs, BUT I'VE ALREADY GOT EIGHT CHARACTERS. I HOPE YOU STAY TUNED ANYWAY. IF IT'S A SUCCESS, I MAY EVEN DO ANOTHER, SIMILAR ONE...**

**I've been absent from writing for a while now, so I thought I'd try something different. This is going to be a short story about a Pokemon Tournament – basically, just a series of battles. However, the participants will be your very own submitted OCs (if you are willing), of which I will accept the first eight that I like. HOWEVER that doesn't mean I'll accept anything. There are some rules:**

**A maximum of one shiny Pokemon per team. They're supposed to be rare, you know.**

**No Legendaries. Apart from the fact that they're seriously rare, I don't think I can pull of a Groudon vs. Pikachu or something equally mismatched.**

**No crazy superhero Pokemon. By this I mean no Pokemon with incredible special abilities, like an Eevee that can evolve into all of its evolutions and back whenever it wants to or something. **

**No one-Pokemon teams, like a team of six Magikarps or something. Apart from being ridiculous, it would be really hard to write about that. However, single-type teams (e.g. Psychic, Water etc.) are welcome.**

**No Champions. A tournament with three Hoenn Champions in might be epic, but it's still impossible and unreasonable.**

**Probably some other loophole I've forgotten about. **

**Now that you've read that (and hopefully haven't lost interest) I'd be grateful if you could use the following form to submit your characters:**

**Name**

**Age**

**Personality/battling style**

**History (notable family members, life events, badges etc.)**

**Pokemon (of course!) and their moves. A team of six is needed please.**

**Appearance (including hair, clothes etc.)**

**Anything else you think is important or would like me to include.**


	2. Tournament Specifics

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon (unfortunately).

**Tournament Specifics**

**Within a single day of posting the story, I've already got eight OCs ready to use. It's already more popular than some of my other stories, and I haven't even started it yet.**

**Anyway, these are the eight OCs that will be competing in the tournament:**

**Kurogasa Kururugi - Fenikkusumaru**

**Ariana Ada – Kris 77**

**Corey Spina – Spartan20**

**Yuuki – yuukifan001**

**Alessandra Cesarini – Legendary Fairy**

**Ari Harper – Serpent's Ballet**

**Jason 'Jay' Brown – CyberWolf101**

**Olivia Rowan – Kairi Avalon**

**I couldn't find fault with any of them, so I didn't see any reason not to use any of them. Sorry if I've spelled any of your usernames or OC names wrong, a couple of them were pretty complicated!**

**I'm not sure when the first official battle will be up – I have an important exam soon, so I can't spend much time writing until it's over – but each battle's outcome will be determined by a coin toss so there's no favouritism or bias or anything like that. I'll make up the attacks for some of the Pokemon as details weren't included, if any of you have specific movesets in mind, just message or review again.**

**The first battles will be three-on-three – i.e. three Pokemon each. The next two battles I haven't decided upon yet, but the final will be six-on-six.**

**You'll be paired up randomly, unless I think a specific pair would make for a really good battle.**

**That's pretty much it. Thanks for reviewing or messaging me with your beloved OCs, I'll do my best to have them act 'naturally' according to the descriptions you sent me. **

**Oh yes, and good luck! **


	3. Tournament Battle 1 Kurogasa vs Jason

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon (unfortunately).

**Pokemon Tournament – Battle 1**

**Kurogasa Kururugi (Fenikkusumaru) vs Jason 'Jay' Brown (CyberWolf101)**

"Wish me luck, Typhlosion. I can only use three Pokemon in the first round, so I'm going to save you for later, OK?" Kurogasa said fondly, stroking the nose of his beloved Typhlosion. "I'll need you for when the going gets really tough," Typhlosion roared happily, and his neck-ruff of flames burst into life to show his readiness. On the other side of the waiting room, a burly man shifted uncomfortably, adjusting his white-tinted sunglasses against the sudden glare of the fire. The flickering, dancing glow of burning orange and red had petrified him ever since that terrible day when his Charmander's Ember had backfired so horrifically, and however much he tried not to show it he couldn't help but be nervous. As his future opponent recalled the Fire Pokemon, he relaxed, and looked over at the boy critically.

Kurogasa just seemed like another average Trainer to him in a parade of hundreds he had met, battled and protected in his life. The boy was of average height, with straight, spiked brown hair and a cobalt-blue jacket worn over a silver T-shirt. He wore jeans – 'Typical kid trying to be cool', he thought – and shiny black shoes. There were sixteen badges pinned to his jacket, but this didn't faze Jason Brown at all. He had seen Trainers with twice as many crumble under pressure, until he got there to save their butts and earn his living as a bodyguard. Jason himself had the eight badges of Kanto, but he knew they were just symbolic trinkets; in the heat of battle, they weren't worth a thing. You had to rely on yourself, your own guts and brains, to get what you wanted, in Pokemon battles and life in general.

Kurogasa glanced over to his opponent, smiling amiably – he wanted to keep the battle civil, after all – but was disconcerted to see the man he opposed was already watching him, his penetrating gaze evident even behind his opaque white glasses. The man certainly looked different to what Kurogasa expected of a professional Trainer; he was well-built and scarred, with tanned skin which concealed well-honed muscles. Didn't he know battles were about the skill of the Trainer, not his physical strength? Brains over brawn, as he liked to say. And the man only had eight badges, too. Kurogasa snapped himself out of it; looks weren't everything. He might have more badges, but there was no way he was letting his guard down.

Sitting down again, he glanced over at his opponent casually, taking in what he could, probing for weakness. He wore a strange white T-shirt, with black claw-mark motifs on the sleeves, as well as black cargo pants and white fingerless gloves. As he watched, the man leaned backwards slightly in his seat, resting the back of his head against the wall and shifting into a more comfortable position. "Er... are you OK?" Kurogasa asked, hoping his foe wasn't chickening out right before their battle. There was no noticeable change in the man's posture, but Kurogasa could tell one of his eyes had opened slightly behind his sunglasses, gazing at him with polite contempt.

"I'm resting while I can," Jason replied, smiling ever so slightly at his foe's naivety. "You never know when you'll be called into action,"

"I don't think it will be long. A few minutes at most. My name's Kurogasa, by the way. Nice to meet you," Kurogasa took his opportunity to get closer to his foe, extending a hand. Jason eyed him for a moment, wondering whether to accept the casual greeting, before deciding it couldn't do any harm.

"I am Jason Brown," Jason said, shaking Kurogasa's hand quickly and tapping his feet with slight annoyance as the friendly boy sat beside him.

"I just want to say; let the best man win. No hard feelings, right?" Kurogasa said cheerfully.

"Right. No hard feelings," Jason echoed vaguely. Why was this boy getting so friendly? It wasn't like they'd ever see each other again after this. He didn't care who the boy was, unless he needed a bodyguard and was willing to pay well for it.

"Mmmhmm," Kurogasa agreed, picking up on his foe's tone. This was a man who wasn't bothered about making friends or even being polite. What was his problem? When no further conversation seemed forthcoming, Jason slumped backwards slightly into another doze, whilst Kurogasa examined the three Pokeballs in his hand. Lovingly taken care of, they held the Pokemon who had helped so much through his journey; his closest friends and finest battlers. If this Jason guy was getting overconfident, Kurogasa would be the one to bring him down. This he silently promised to his Pokemon, before clipping them back onto his belt in order. As he began to go through the tactics he had prepared after registering for the tournament, a mechanical voice echoed around the waiting room, emanating from a speaker in the wall.

"Will Kurogasa Kururugi and Jason Brown please enter the battle-field. The match is about to begin," Kurogasa jumped to his feet, nervous but excited as he was before any important battle. In contrast, Jason looked relatively relaxed, although his slightly tense body language spoke a different story.

"This is it. After you," Kurogasa said politely, waving Jason onwards, and Jason replied with a grunt and slight nod of the head before striding out of the door into the stadium. Kurogasa followed him, watching his foe with troubled eyes and wondering whether he was as tough as he looked, or a whole lot tougher. Then he remembered that he wasn't exactly a slouch himself; he had sixteen badges, after all. All he had to do was try his best and work in sync with his Pokemon, and he'd be fine. The two battlers took up their positions on opposite sides of the rectangular battle-field as the crowd cheered them wildly in expectation of some prime Pokemon battling. A wizened judge sat on the sidelines, holding a red flag in one hand and a green flag in the other, used to indicate the winner of each battle.

"The first battle of the tournament will be between Kurogasa Kururugi, winner of the eight badges of Johto and Sinnoh..." the announcer cried, and waited for the applause to die down before continuing. "And Jason Brown, winner of Kanto's eight Gym badges," There was more polite applause from the audience, although Kurogasa arguably received more, being well-known on the TV show Sinnoh Trainer Time due to his extensive travels around the region. "Today we're expecting some heated battles, but none more so than the first! Only one competitor will get through to the semi-finals, and it will be judged on their abilities as a Pokemon Trainer. This match will involve three Pokemon from each Trainer; whoever wins two out of three matches wins the round, and the loser is knocked out!"

"Will the Trainers please release their Pokemon in three... two... one..." the judge spoke up, and lowered his flags. The rules of the tournament stated that the Pokemon had to be released at the same time, so neither Trainer had the advantage, and no substitutions were allowed.

"Alakazam, I choose you!"

"Guardian, it's you!"

"Kurogasa has gone with Alakazam, whilst Jason has chosen Lucario! Alakazam appears to have the advantage, but don't forget that Lucario is part Steel type, which will protect him against the worst of his foe's strikes! Nevertheless, that Psychic Pokemon looks like a force to be reckoned with, and it appears we're in for a impressive first match-up!" the announcer roared excitedly, and the crowd cheered along with him.

"Begin," the judge said curtly, and Jason immediately flew into action.

"Guardian, start off with Bone Rush!" he ordered, and Guardian instantly created a glowing blue bone, gripped in his strong hands like a quarterstaff as he charged towards Alakazam with a snarl.

"A full-frontal attacker, eh? Alakazam, Psychic!" Kurogasa smirked, and Alakazam's eyes glowed blue as he directed his immense mental power at his opponent, channelling it through the twisted spoons he clutched in his clawed fingers. Guardian's rush was stopped cold as psychic power washed over him, making the air ripple strangely like a heat haze, but the Lucario pushed against it as hard as he could, forcing his bone-staff onwards and doggedly staggering towards his foe. "Alakazam, now!" Alakazam expertly shifted the energies he was directing, and Guardian was dragged into the air by invisible force, pummelled mentally and physically and finally tossed back to his Trainer like a rag doll. However, the Lucario leapt back up as soon as he landed, snarling angrily and twirling his staff as he awaited further orders.

"Guardian, Extremespeed!" Instantly the bone-staff evaporated, and before Kurogasa could cry a counter-command Guardian was hurtling towards Alakazam like a comet, slamming his steely forehead right between the Psychic Pokemon's eyes and making him stumble backwards, momentarily overcome. "Quick, Bone Rush again!"

"Alakazam, Confusion!" Kurogasa parried, and Lucario's staff was stopped centimetres from Alakazam's overlarge cranium, halted by sheer force of will as Alakazam battled back with another blast of psychic energy. Guardian shook his head quickly as his perceptions started to warp, refusing to give in to confusion and putting all of his strength into battering past his foe's attack and knocking him unconscious. Kurogasa could see that Alakzam was forced onto the defensive, which wasn't good for such a physically weak Pokemon. "Try a Psybeam to really heat things up!" Alakazam just managed to cross his spoons in time, and Guardian was battered backwards by an unrelenting beam of rippling, multi-coloured mental energy as his opponent renewed the offensive. Lucario cried out as his feet gave way beneath him, and suddenly his vision was full of dancing colours and strange patches of light. Where was Alakazam? Where was his beloved master, Jason? What were these strange visions he was seeing, and why was he in pain?

"It looks like Lucario is finally confused, everyone! But will Alakazam capitalise on this chance?" the announcer said expectantly, watching Guardian clutching his head, momentarily helpless. Kurogasa smiled and gave his next order with a flourish.

"Alakazam, Psychic! Make it a good one!" Alakazam nodded briefly and his eyes glowed blue again as he assaulted Guardian on a thousand different mental levels, pummelling him with incredible psychic energy that threatened to be the end of him at any minute.

"Guardian, listen! I need your assistance!" Jason cried unexpectedly. Guardian took a second to process the words; his master needed him? Then he would be there, no matter what stood in his way! He could feel Alakazam's powerful Psychic tearing at his mind, but he forced himself to his feet, blinking away his confusion and gritting his teeth against the wave of power that threatened to overwhelm him any second. "Good! Use Dark Pulse!" Guardian quickly put his palms together, and suddenly a seething ray of purple darkness was forcing the Psychic attack back, giving the Lucario some much-needed breathing space.

"Hmm... Unexpected," Kurogasa said, seeing Guardian fighting back. "In that case, Alakazam, use Psybeam! I know your psychic powers are way better than a Lucario using a Dark type attack, no matter how strong he is," Suddenly the clash had changed; a forceful, focused beam of ever-changing colour now blasted from Alakazam's spoons, hammering the Dark Pulse backwards and in turn giving way as the balance of power shifted.

"Guardian, dodge and use your Bone Rush!" Jason said, realising that he had to strike quickly and unexpectedly or this Alakazam was going to overwhelm him. Alakazam's Psybeam blasted through thin air as Guardian gave up the attack, rolling to the side and creating a bone-staff again as he did so.

"Disable!" Kurogasa said triumphantly, and Alakazam's eyes flickered with power as they forced Lucario's bone-staff to vanish into nothingness. "Never overuse one type of move when Alakazam is in the house!" Alakazam crossed his spoons triumphantly as Guardian looked to his master uncertainly.

"Guardian, just wait a while. It will wear off eventually," Jason said, catching his Lucario's eye. Guardian knew he was planning something, so sat in front of his master in a meditative position, pretending he was waiting for Bone Rush to be available again.

"Alakazam, use your strongest Psybeam! We can't let him recuperate!" Kurogasa said, guessing his foe was trying to rest and delay him until Disable wore off.

"Guardian, Detect!" Jason said, grabbing the opportunity, and Guardian leapt over the Psybeam at the last possible second, avoiding it by a hairsbreadth.

"Alakazam, Psychic!" Kurogasa said, but he, like his Alakazam, had been caught unawares by the move, and his order was a second too late.

"Guardian, Dark Pulse!" The Lucario landed and immediately blasted a purple-black beam straight through the beginnings of the Psychic attack, hammering Alakazam with unrestrained Dark energy and sending him flying backwards, where he landed in a dead faint.

"Alakazam is unable to battle. Lucario wins," the judge ruled, raising the red flag to symbolise Jason's victory. On the big screen above them, the portrait of Alakazam went blank to symbolise his defeat.

"And Jason Brown strikes the first blow, winning the first of the three battles with his irrepressible Lucario and a well-timed Dark Pulse! How will Kurogasa respond?" the announcer asked rhetorically.

"Alakazam, come back. You battled hard, so don't feel bad," Kurogasa said sympathetically. He hadn't expected a Fighting type to triumph over Alakazam, even if it was part Steel; perhaps he was the one getting overconfident rather than his opponent. But next time, he promised, he'd strike back hard.

"Guardian, return. You did very well, my friend," Jason said, returning his Lucario's smile before sucking him back into his Pokeball and awaiting the judge. When the judge saw both of the challengers were ready to start, he said,

"Release your Pokemon in three... two... one..." He lowered his flags again, and again the two Trainers released their battlers, Kurogasa hoping to claw back a win and Jason hoping to finish the job Guardian had started.

"Honchkrow, go!"

"Golddigger, you're up!"

"This time Kurogasa has chosen to use Honchkrow, whilst Jason has picked Golduck. Again, neither side has a type advantage, so after that thrilling first match we can see whether Kurogasa can come back with a vengeance," The crowd whistled and whooped loudly as the announcer finished speaking, and the judge boomed,

"Begin!"

"Golddigger, let's make this two for two! Substitute!" Jason commanded, and suddenly Golduck vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving behind an unmoving facsimile that had an uncanny resemblance to Golddigger himself, personalised to a far greater degree than the Substitutes Kurogasa was familiar with. That wouldn't stop him destroying it and taking out the real Golduck, though.

"Honchkrow, Aerial Ace!" he commanded, and Honchkrow took to the air, doing a somersault before diving towards the Substitute at terrific speed.

"Golddigger, Hypnosis!" Jason ordered, and strange waves of soothing energy emanated from the Substitute's eyes, waves that Honchkrow was unable to avoid even if he wanted to, as Aerial Ace would never miss its target.

"Honchkrow, fight it! Slam that Substitute, then use Night Slash!" Kurogasa shouted, hoping to keep up Honchkrow's concentration; the bird flew deeper into the web of hypnotic power, but his Trainer's voice, coupled with his Dark characteristics, allowed him to shrug off the psychic-type attack and hit the immobile Substitute dead-on, taking it in the chest and forcing it to disintegrate into nothingness. As soon as the Substitute faded, Golduck came back into view, and Honchkrow changed course slightly, slashing his wing through the air and sending a slice of Dark energy hurtling towards his foe.

"Golddigger, use Aqua Jet to dodge and strike back!" Jason counter-commanded, and in an instant Golduck was darting around, surrounded by a veil of water and moving at a super-quick speed that allowed him to easily evade the Night Slash. Suddenly, the duck-like creature changed course, hurtling up towards Honchkrow to try and batter him just as hard as the Flying type battered his Substitute.

"Honchkrow, fly upwards!" Kurogasa ordered, and Honchkrow flapped his impressive wings, rising upwards. Golddigger was moving so fast that he couldn't change direction, and sailed under Honchkrow uselessly like a misdirected baseball. "Great! Now, Dark Pulse!"

"Golddigger, Disable!" Jason cried, seeing his foe playing his trump card, but Golduck had barely managed to groggily get to his feet before the lancing beam of darkness slammed into him from behind, pounding him with energy as Honchkrow malevolently grinned from above.

"Honchkrow, Aerial Ace!" Kurogasa said quickly; Golduck was down for now, and he wanted to keep him that way.

"Golddigger, he's coming in from the left! Hydro Pump!" Jason commanded, and Honchkrow was suddenly assailed by a thick, pressurised jet of water that blasted from Golduck's mouth as he flew in for the kill. However, Aerial Ace carried him through the blast, and he was helpless to resist as water pressure pounded every inch of his feathery body before he suddenly felt himself connect with the foe, sending the Water Pokemon flying backwards. Honchkrow landed awkwardly, his feathers waterlogged and his mind fuzzy from the battering he received. However, Golddigger was in no shape to take advantage of this, breathing heavily as he was and struggling to even get to his feet.

"Honchkrow, Dark Pulse!" Kurogasa said as soon as Honchkrow looked halfway ready to battle; he knew Golduck was weakening, and he had to go all-out if he wanted to clinch this win as soon as possible.

"Golddigger, Ice Beam!" Jason hissed, and Golduck beat back the Dark Pulse with his own super-effective, crackling, icy-blue beam, putting everything he had into fighting the powerful Dark Pulse off. Jason knew he had to land this super-effective attack if he wanted a quick win, and with Honchkrow as wet as he was, freezing him solid wasn't out of the question either.

"Golduck may be powerful, but unlike a proper bird he can't fly. Unlike Honchkrow, in other words," Kurogasa said with determination, and in response Honchkrow took to the air, circling his foe and never letting up with the Dark Pulse as his pinned-in, immobile foe was forced to turn on the spot to defend himself. Golddigger's Ice Beam began to flicker and fail, so Jason cried,

"Golddigger, Substitute! Then hit him with Hydro Pump!" Golduck screwed up his concentration, but his endurance was less than Jason had thought; the exertion of creating a Substitute was beyond him, and had taxed him over the limit. The Water Pokemon slumped backwards, panting, and Honchkrow took his chance to slam him hard with a concentrated Dark Pulse that knocked him out for the count.

"Golduck is unable to battle. Honchkrow is the winner," the judge ruled, holding up the green flag, and Golduck's picture on the big screen went blank.

"Yeah! Good job, Honchkrow! I knew you could do it!" Kurogasa cheered.

"Honchkrow!" Honchkrow sneered, doing a lap of the field before returning to his Pokeball.

"Golddigger, return. Honchkrow was just that bit too fast for us, and powerful too. Rest well, for I'll have need for you later in the tournament," Jason said confidently.

"Kurogasa and Honchkrow fight back in perfect sync there, taking advantage of Honchkrow's Flying attributes perfectly! Now we've come down to the final battle; whoever wins this, proceeds onto the semi-finals! The choice of a reliable, dependable Pokemon will be key here for victory!" the announcer informed the audience.

"Competitors, release your Pokemon in three... two... one..." the judge said, and the audience watched with baited breath as he lowered his flags.

"Pidgeot, I choose you!"

"Streak, go!" Some members of the audience audibly gasped as they saw the final match-up, and even the announcer seemed rattled.

"Jason has chosen well and picked Electivire, known for having one of the highest attack powers of all Electric Pokemon! He will undoubtedly have an advantage against Kurogasa, who has chosen Pidgeot, and is in for a difficult battle,"

"Don't lose heart, Pidgeot. We've overcome type disadvantages before," Kurogasa assured the bird Pokemon.

"This will be no challenge at all, Streak," Jason said, and Electivire crackled with electricity as he psyched himself up to battle.

"Begin!" the judge ordered, and Kurogasa waited for Electivire to make the first move; he needed to be at the top of his game to counter this monster.

"Streak, hit him with Psychic!" Jason commanded, and Kurogasa was taken aback; Psychic, on a physical attacker? And an Electric one at that? Electivire's eyes glowed as he gripped Pidgeot in mental power, pounding him with pulses and keeping him rooted to the spot simultaneously.

"Pidgeot, Wing Attack!" Kurogasa ordered as quickly as he could, and with great effort Pidgeot opened his glowing wings, hurtling towards Electivire and ready to pound him as hard as he could, no matter what the cost.

"Streak, fight him off with Iron Tail!" Jason said, seeing that Pidgeot was stronger than he expected, and soon a duel was breaking out; two glowing tails against two glowing wings, pounding each other relentlessly like the swords of battling fencers. Pidgeot, however, was far quicker and more manoeuvrable than Electivire, especially now that the Psychic had died down, and was able to nail him with several harsh blows whilst suffering only grazes himself.

"Pidgeot, Fly!" Kurogasa suddenly ordered, and Streak's tails slashed through thin air as Pidgeot rose upwards, then fell like a bullet, slamming him in the chest bodily and making the heavy-set beast stumble backwards, winded.

"Streak, use Thunder!" Jason countered, and two huge bolts of electricity blasted from each tail, combining to make a thunderbolt of terrible power that threatened to knock Pidgeot out in one swift strike.

"Pidgeot, dodge it! Use Wing Attack when you can!" Kurogasa said, troubled by Electivire's power and resilience, but he was heartened to see that Pidgeot wasn't slacking a single bit, ducking and diving away from the Thunder and hitting Streak with his wings whenever he could. Jason ground his teeth angrily; this wasn't how he had envisioned things at all. He needed to get a hit in, and fast, or he and Streak would get frustrated and throw the battle away.

"Streak, use Barrier!" Pidgeot's glowing wings were suddenly stopping short of their mark, blocked by a thick, translucent shield that protected the Electric Pokemon from all but the strongest blows. The Flying Pokemon retreated slightly, seeing Wing Attack wasn't going to work, and looked to his master in askance.

"Pidgeot, we're going to need a strong blow to shatter that Barrier. Use Brave Bird!" Pidgeot rose up in the air, spreading his wings as he was wreathed in light and fire, screeching loudly. He plummeted towards Electivire at frightening speed, uncaring of the damage he was sure to sustain, focused only on beating the shielded hulk.

"Streak, Charge Beam!" Jason said, but Pidgeot's speed and terrifying image had rendered him stunned, and he ordered the first attack that came to mind. Electivire dropped the Barrier and blasted a twisting beam of electricity towards Pidgeot, but the vengeful bird easily dodged, and slammed into his target with incredible force. Electivire was thrown backwards off his feet, landing with a heavy thud as Pidgeot himself recoiled, rolling head over heels backwards before getting slowly to his feet, his feathers ruffled and head swimming. Streak himself doggedly rose up to fight again, although he was also weakened, with only feeble sparks crackling over his charged body.

"Pidgeot, stay strong! He's weakening! We can do this!" Kurogasa encouraged, and Pidgeot squawked weakly, spreading his wings to show he was ready.

"Streak, we can't let them beat us," Jason said firmly, and Streak stood strong again, electricity jumping between his two tails as he prepared to renew the fight. "Get ready to counter. I've got a plan,"

"Pidgeot, it's time to seal the deal. Use Fly!" Pidgeot rose into the air again, flapping his magnificent wings, and slowly picked his spot before angling back down in a powerful dive.

"Streak, Psychic! Pull him in faster and use Thunderpunch!" Jason shouted instantly. It was a risky strategy, but he knew Streak's specialty was countering opponents then striking back. The only question was, could he survive the Fly attack on top of hitting back?

"Go with the flow, Pidgeot! Build up your speed and smash him as hard as you can!" Kurogasa gambled. He knew it was probably foolish, but he trusted Pidgeot to pull it off, using the foe's own counter against him. The only question was, would he survive the Thunderpunch as well as taking down Electivire? Pidgeot's speed increased as he allowed the Psychic to draw him in, and the Flying Pokemon angled himself perfectly, targeting Electivire's chest and putting all the power he could into the dive. Streak's fist crackled with electricity as Pidgeot hurtled towards him; all he had to do was keep his cool, and victory would be his... The two Pokemon collided with tremendous force, and there was a loud crackle of electricity and a flash of energy as both creatures ricocheted off each other, landing hard in front of their Trainers. The only difference between the prone fighters was that Streak was feebly stirring, doing his best to get back onto his feet for his master, whilst Pidgeot was sprawled out unconscious.

"Pidgeot is unable to battle. Electivire is the winner. This match goes to Jason Brown!" the judge announced, raising the red flag as Streak finally struggled to his full height.

"And after a dazzling combat full of great tactics and a certain very brave bird, Jason Brown was tipped into victory by the type advantage, as well as the resilience of his astounding Electivire! Let's all give a big hand to Kurogasa Kururugi, who showed us a great match today; this is a Trainer with a bright future! Jason Brown, congratulations! You move onto the next round! Everybody, that's the first match of today over, and it was a battle to be proud of for both sides,"

"Well done. You're a great battler," Kurogasa said, doing his best to smile as he recalled his battered Pidgeot.

"Thank you. You also demonstrated some skill," Jason replied, patting Streak on the shoulder before nodding at his opponent and taking his leave. The boy was better than he expected, but Jason Brown was no pushover. He'd do the same to his next challenger, and the final challenger too. Kurogasa entered the stands, taking an unoccupied seat slightly separated from the others, brooding over his loss. In the end, he guessed he just pushed Pidgeot too far. He'd take this battle as a learning experience, and do better next time. 'The Gyms of Hoenn and Kanto had better watch out. I'll be coming for you soon!' he thought with a smile, and settled back in his seat, eager to see just how far this Jason guy could get.

**Congratulations Jason Brown (CyberWolf101) and commiserations Kurogasa Kururugi (Fenikkusumaru)! I hope you enjoyed the battle anyway, and that you're both happy with the way I handled your OCs. However, unless I find more spare time this week or next week, you won't be able to expect the next battle until after Wednesday 3****rd**** February.**

**Next time: Alessandra Cesarini (Legendary Fairy) vs Ari Harper (Serpent's Ballet)!**


	4. Tournament Battle 2 Alessandra vs Ari

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon (unfortunately).

**Pokemon Tournament Battle 2**

**Alessandra Cesarini (Legendary Fairy) vs Ari Harper (Serpent's Ballet)**

Markus Pearl screwed up his courage and knocked on the waiting room door, where he knew Alex and her opponent were awaiting the call to battle.

"Come in," the soft, familiar voice of his friend called, and he fumbled with the doorknob, hoping he wasn't making a big mistake. As he entered the room nervously, he took in the two competitors. One was as familiar as his beloved hometown Twinleaf; a girl with lustrous, waist-long brown hair, held back from her smiling face with a blue headband. She wore a blue T-shirt and an ice-blue, knee-length skirt, and her scuffed black shoes made him smile as he remembered all the adventures they had been on together.

Seated close by was what many would call her polar opposite; a pale young boy with a slender body and black hair that swept down just past his chin, tinged slightly with flashes of purple at the ends. He was dressed in sombre grey clothes, with a dark grey jacket, jeans and grey shoes. The only part of him that seemed remotely cheerful was the sparkling silver Poketch on his wrist, and he was looking over at Markus coolly, taking in the boy's messy blonde hair, unkempt, orange-and-white-striped shirt and the rose foolishly clutched in his hands. Adding these to the nervous expression and clumsy exterior, Ari Harper dismissed the boy of being of any interest whatsoever, and started playing around with his Poketch again. In reality, he was thinking up tactics he could use; but seeing that his foe Alessandra was older, he thought he would give her the image of a scatterbrained kid to get her guard down.

"Hi, Alex," Markus mumbled, walking over awkwardly. "Er... this is for you," His face reddened as he handed over the rose. "Just... Just a good-luck gesture," Alex looked surprised, but touched; was that a faint blush on her cheeks?

"Thank you, Markus," she said, accepting the rose and hugging her friend closely. "You're a good friend. The best," The two of them looked at each other fondly for a second, but as Markus worked up his courage again for the ultimate question, he heard gagging noises behind. The two of them turned to see Ari watching them, pretending to vomit.

"This is a Pokemon battle, not a Tunnel of Love," he said with a smirk, and grinned as he noticed their increased blushing, relishing their discomfort. He wasn't nasty at heart, and normally wouldn't have spoken up at all, but he despised any sort of drama and scene-stealing; they reminded him of the brother he had long detested.

"I'll be waiting in the stands, Alex," Markus mumbled before Ari could keep going, and sped out as fast as he could, leaving the battlers alone in the room. Ari chuckled to himself and looked back to his Poketch, trying to decide on his final Pokemon as Alessandra sat back down. She was feeling uncommonly annoyed towards this boy; he had interrupted them when Markus looked set to expose the feelings she hoped he held for her. What was this kid doing in the tournament anyway? He only had four badges, and three ribbons, after all. She, Alessandra Cesarini, had thirty two badges, all eight from each region. Maybe in the aftermath of the battle, after winning of course, she and Markus could continue their conversation. Happy with this thought, she began to rigorously go over her tactics for the battle, feeling a strange compulsion to see the contemptuous boy she faced go down without a fight.

"Will Alessandra Cesarini and Ari Harper please enter the battle-field. The match is about to begin," the mechanical voice of an announcer eventually emanated from the speakers, and Ari and Alessandra got to their feet.

"Good luck," Alessandra said reluctantly.

"Good luck to you too," Ari replied, stepping back so she could enter the field first and smiling inscrutably. They entered the stadium under a hail of cheers from their audience, and as they took their positions the announcer said,

"And battling here today we have Alessandra Cesarini, who has a staggering thirty-two badges in her collection; one from every single Gym in each region. Truly a Trainer of great talent. Opposing her we have Ari Harper, winner of four of Hoenn's Gym badges, and, as shown on Hoenn TV by those well-known reporters Gabby and Ty, he is a master of creating dazzling moves that are effective as well as beautiful,"

"Are both Trainers ready to battle?" the judge asked under the roar of the crowd, and both nodded, eager to get started. "Then will you please release your Pokemon in three... two... one..." he lowered his red and green flags, and the two competitors simultaneously hurled their Pokeballs into the arena.

"Snow, I choose you!"

"Drapion, you're up!"

"Alessandra has chosen a Glaceon, and judging by its lighter-than-usual fur, it seems to have rare alternate colouration. Ari, on the other hand, has sent out Drapion, a Poison and Dark type; which means that neither side has an advantage!" the announcer exclaimed.

"Begin!" the judge ordered once each Pokemon had found their footing, and Alessandra struck first.

"Snow, use Ice Beam!" Glaceon blasted a frosty crackle of energy towards Drapion, hoping to freeze the giant scorpion in place.

"Drapion, Protect!" Ari parried, and the Ice Beam stopped short of its target, halted by a shimmering shield as Drapipon focused on his target unblinkingly. "Now, Toxic Spikes!" As the Ice Beam crackled into nothingness, Drapion swung its clawed arms, sending out a hail of poison-daubed shards that made any step dangerous as they landed all around Glaceon. Ari smiled; now he had the advantage. Drapion was doing his job well so far.

"Snow, stay where you are! Use Ice Beam again!" Alessandra commanded, and again Drapion found a powerful frigid beam hurtling towards him.

"Drapion, dodge and use Swagger!" Ari cried, and Drapion flattened himself to the floor, scuttling towards Glaceon as the Ice Beam whistled overhead. As Snow stopped the attack, wondering what to do next, Drapion reared up in front of her, grinning evilly and gloating about his dodge, flaunting his own aggressive power. Glaceon snarled angrily, eager to punish the Poison Pokemon for his insolence, but she found herself unable to think straight.

"Snow, keep going! Heal Bell!" Alessandra encouraged, and the chime of a ghostly bell echoed around the stadium as Glaceon cleansed her mind of confusion.

"That's irritating," Ari mumbled as Glaceon got ready for battle again. "Toxic won't work against that Heal Bell, so a straight attack is the only option. Drapion, X-Scissor!" Drapion roared and thundered towards his opponent, eager to get to grips with her and beat her into unconsciousness with his crossed, glowing arms.

"Quick Attack, Snow!" Alessandra said immediately, and Drapion recoiled as Glaceon slammed into his chitinous stomach, her charge powered up by his own previous swaggering. As Drapion collected himself, Snow landed perfectly in a battle stance, ready to take advantage of the foe's surprise. "Ice Beam!" Drapion screeched angrily and scuttled backwards as Glaceon took the chance to pound him with a direct Ice Beam, and he felt shards of ice collecting and growing in the gaps between his armour plates. Unless his temporary Trainer had a plan, he'd find himself frozen in no time by the blistering beam.

"Drapion, Aerial Ace!" Ari commanded, and Drapion charged into the heart of the Ice Beam, unerringly seeking out the shiny Pokemon like a guided missile.

"Snow, Blizzard!" Alessandra cried, and immediately Drapion was being pounded by wind and chunks of ice, battered and beaten but unable to stop. However, inches away from Glaceon he halted, and as the wind and snow cleared Ari gasped; the Poison Pokemon was encased in a craggy lump of ice, completely frozen like a fly stuck in amber! "Ha! Wonderful work, Snow!" Alessandra complimented, and Glaceon purred happily and took the chance to rest for a couple of minutes.

"Drapion, break out of there with X-Scissor!" Ari yelled, hoping the Pokemon could hear him, but there was no response.

"Snow, break him out of there with a precision Quick Attack!" Alessandra ordered, and there was a great shattering noise as Glaceon impacted with the ice, destroying Drapion's prison and sending tiny shards of sparkling ice through the air, making the battle-field glitter for an amazing second that spoke of Alessandra's flair as a Coordinator. Drapion scuttled backwards, groaning and shivering, but he wasn't beaten just yet; Ari knew he just had to get his second wind.

"Drapion, go in slowly, look for an opening, and hit her with an X-Scissor to be proud of," Ari said, and Drapion straightened up, circling his foe and picking a spot as Glaceon stared back challengingly.

"If he's going to take it slow, we'll do the opposite! Quick Attack!" Alessandra ordered, and Drapion was once again taken by surprise as Glaceon's frosty body impacted with him with deceptive power. However, as Snow began to retreat to a safe distance, the scorpion-like beast lumbered forwards drunkenly, scissoring his crossed arms outwards and hammering the surprised Glaceon with a close-range X-Scissor at last. Whether it was skill or luck that made it a direct hit was open to debate, but Snow was down, and struggling to get up. Ari suddenly felt on top and in control again, and cried,

"One last X-Scissor, to finish him off!"

"Snow, dodge it quickly!" Alessandra pleaded, and Snow rolled aside from the powerful Bug type blow, which sent up a cloud of dust that concealed both battlers. "Ice Beam!"

"X-Scissor!" Alessandra and Ari shouted together, and Glaceon was sent hurtling from the dust cloud as another X-Scissor found its mark. However, as the Dark Pokemon stumbled out of the dust-cloud looking triumphant, Snow struck back with a powerful Ice Beam that hammered Drapion incredibly hard. The scorpion braced himself against the ground with his thick arms, trying to keep himself upright, but they quickly gave way and his eyes rolled as he slipped into unconsciousness.

"Drapion is unable to battle. Glaceon is the winner," the judge said importantly, raising the red flag to show that Alessandra had won the first match.

"Drapion, come back. You did well, but I'm going to have words with my brother about your X-Scissor training," Ari grumbled to himself, recalling his brother's Pokemon and clipping it to his belt.

"Snow, you were brilliant. They underestimated you and paid the price," Alessandra said, cuddling her Glaceon close before returning it.

"I don't think any of us expected that!" the announcer cried. "That is one tough Glaceon, ladies and gentlemen. Alessandra wins the first match, but an interesting fact to note is that Drapion managed to lay down some deadly Toxic Spikes, which could influence the flow of battle immensely by badly Poisoning Alessandra's Pokemon,"

"Release your Pokemon in three... two... one..." the judge said, and the flags swished through the air as each Trainer chose their second Pokemon.

"Thunder, go!"

"Seviper, your turn!"

"Alessandra has picked Pikachu this time, whilst Ari has picked Seviper. Perhaps he has a certain preference for Poison Pokemon, or maybe he's just trying to be certain his own Toxic Spikes won't come back to haunt him should he attack Pikachu head-on," the announcer said as the two Pokemon squared off. Pikachu was amidst a bubbling field of poisonous spikes, but he was so small and agile he had avoided stepping on any and being Poisoned just yet. Seviper was scrunched up like an accordion, waving his bladed tail with anticipation.

"Begin!"

"Seviper, Sunny Day!" Ari said straight away; firstly he wanted to power up Seviper's unexpected Flamethrower, and secondly he wanted to make sure it wasn't raining so Pikachu's Thunder wouldn't be given extra voltage. Seviper spat out a small, glowing orb, like a miniature sun, which floated above the battle-field making it noticeably warmer and brighter.

"Thunder, Double Team!" Alessandra counter-commanded, and suddenly there were a dozen Pikachus on the field, surrounding Seviper and all looking completely identical. "Good! Now, Agility!"

"Seviper, burn them all with Flamethrower!" Ari said quickly; Pikachu's speed being raised was definitely not a good thing. Seviper breathed out a stream of fire, and rotated slowly on the spot, destroying image after image as the dodged around boosting their own speed. Eventually, there was only one Pikachu left standing, although he was looking confident as his cheeks crackled with electricity.

"Thunder, dodge the Flamethrower and use Slam!" Pikachu darted away from Flamethrower with ease, rolling and ducking with amazing speed and agility before slamming his tail onto Seviper's cheek, forcing the snake to reel backwards and lose its focus. "Now, use Thunderbolt!"

"Seviper, fight it off with Flamethrower!" Ari said quickly; he had a plan in mind, but it would be difficult to pull off. The electricity and flames spat and hissed as they collided, vying for power, but the Sunny Day was doing its job and forcing Pikachu back slightly as each second passed.

"Thunder, Agility again, to dodge!" Alessandra cried, and Pikachu was darting around again, moving so fast it was as if he was teleporting all over the place. Seviper stopped his Flamethrower and waited for Pikachu to stay in one place, looking uneasy as the Electric mouse outmanoeuvred him.

"Seviper, Haze, then Flamethrower!" Ari said, seeing a split-second chance; fog poured from Seviper's mouth, enveloping Pikachu and swathing half of the battle-field in thick dark mist. As soon as his job was done, Seviper blasted jets of fire into the fog, hoping to hit Thunder by accident and finally nail him with a solid blow.

"Thunder, use Slam!" Alessandra ordered, her brow furrowed, but Pikachu didn't burst from the fog.

"OK, Seviper, I think that's enough," Ari said quietly, and Seviper allowed the fog to disperse and stopped his Flamethrowers so he could see whether Ari's tactic had paid off. Thunder was lying close by, but instead of leaping into the attack and catching Seviper unawares, he was pulling a poisoned spike from his foot, getting up and looking groggy and sickened. "Ha! I knew not seeing where he was going would make him step on a spike, especially at the speed he was going!" Ari said triumphantly, and Seviper hissed happily.

"Thunder, can you keep battling?" Alessandra asked with concern, seeing Pikachu swaying.

"Pika!" Thunder replied with determination, although his voice was hoarser and higher than usual.

"Great! Then use Thunderbolt!" Seviper hissed with pain as a bolt of lightning zapped him, lighting up his shimmering scales as Pikachu did his best to force him into surrender.

"Seviper, this is our chance! Giga Drain!" Ari said, catching Alessandra off-guard; how could it be their chance whilst they were being attacked? Seviper beat back the electric bolt with bright-green crackling energy, buying himself some time and hoping to suck away Pikachu's energy. The two attacks went back and forth, but Pikachu's Thunderbolt was gaining more ground each time, getting closer and closer with each passing second. However, out of the blue, Pikachu's attack faltered and stopped, and Pikachu himself staggered backwards, let out a pitiful squeak, and fainted. Alessandra was speechless, then she remembered the poison; Ari had just been delaying her until it could take effect.

"Pikachu is unable to battle. Seviper is the winner," the judge said importantly, raising the green flag as Pikachu's picture on the big screen faded.

"Thunder, return. Don't worry, it was my fault you lost," she said, returning the unconscious Pikachu and feeling disturbed at her own lack of foresight.

"Seviper, well done. You played your part perfectly," Ari smiled, feeling more confident now that his elaborate tactic worked.

"Ari's stalling tactic paid off big-time there, allowing him to get a win under his belt and give him a shot at getting into the semi-finals. However, I don't think we'll see Alessandra slacking off, somehow, as she fights for her own place in the next round," the commentator said, stoking the excitement of the crowd even further as the judge lowered his flags.

"Tails, I choose you!"

"Metagross, go!" The crowd cooed with wonder as Metagross and Ninetales faced off, two Pokemon whose sheer power was never in doubt, but one with an overwhelming advantage.

"For the second time in the tournament, we have a type advantage on the final battle! Will Ari and Metagross be able to buck the odds, or will Alessandra and Ninetales blaze to victory?" the announcer wondered.

"Begin!" the judge ordered, and the final battle between the two commenced.

"Tails, use Dig!" Alessandra instructed, and Ninetales clawed at the ground, disappearing beneath it with a flash of its nine lustrous tails.

"Metagross, Magnet Rise!" Ari said confidently, and Metagross manipulated the electromagnetic energy in the ground, using it to rise up in the air like a UFO. Ninetales burst out from underneath the Steel type, but he couldn't get enough height on the leap, and landed close by, his tails swishing as he glared up at the metallic beast. "Now, Flash Cannon!" A beam of white light lanced down from Metagross' eyes towards Tails, filling the stadium with brightness and a strange white noise in the background.

"Tails, stay strong!" Alessandra ordered, and this time it was Ari who was wrong-footed; the Fire Pokemon merely sat there as the beam pounded him, and emerged practically unharmed from the onslaught. "Now, Payback!" Ninetales leapt up savagely, landing on Metagross' flat head and filling him with blasts of dark energy as he took his revenge. Metagross bellowed and shook Ninetales off, but the damage was done, and Tails was smirking superiorly.

"OK, Metagross, change of plan. Rock Slide!" Metagross swooped low to the ground, riding the electromagnetic waves like an expert, and on the way he used his four powerful legs to gouge huge lumps of rock from the arena floor, hurling them towards Tails in a deadly shower.

"Tails, Substitute!" Alessandra countered, and Ninetales vanished, leaving behind a strange, vaguely similar object that was duly buried under the tons of rubble Metagross launched. However, Tails himself reappeared on top of the rocky pile, looking none the worse for wear and gazing at Metagross, trying to goad the creature into anger.

"Keep calm, Metagross. Use Bullet Punch to show them what you can do!" Metagross hurtled forwards like a steel meteor, and landed a volley of iron-hard blows on Ninetales as each of his four legs struck in turn. Ninetales hissed with pain and leapt backwards off the mound of rubble, eager to escape the onslaught. "Metagross, Facade!" Ari continued; if Ninetales kept getting forced back, he might step on a Toxic Spike by accident, and then he only had to wait out the Poison to claim victory.

"Tails, stand your ground!" Alessandra cried, seeing straight through Ari's plan as Metagross approached. "Hit him with Fire Blast!"

"Get out of there, Metagross!" Ari shouted, but before Metagross could slow down and change course, a huge, fiery star slammed into him head-on, exploding in a ball of flames and sending him crashing into the rock-pile with a loud clang.

"We can use the battle-field too, right Tails?" Alessandra said, and Ninetales nodded, waiting for Metagross to pick his way free of the debris.

"Metagross, are you OK?" Ari asked anxiously; that last hit had been nothing to laugh about. However, Metagross emerged from the rubble groggily, clawing his way to the top where he sat like a steel spider, examining his golden foe with new respect. "It's time to finish this battle one way or another. Hyper Beam!"

"Tails, this is our chance to finish him off! Substitute!" Ninetales' place was taken by a slumped, doll-like Substitute, which suffered the terrible orange beam and was disintegrated on impact; however, Tails himself was unharmed, and Metagross was trying desperately to overcome the feedback of energy as the Fire Pokemon stalked towards him. "Now, Fire Blast!"

"Metagross, Rock Slide!" Ari said, taking the supreme gamble as the deadly fire-star hissed towards the Steel Pokemon. Metagross threw himself backwards off the rock-pile created by his previous attack, and was blasted further through the air as the Fire Blast exploded into being, tearing at him with a wave of lashing flames. It looked as though he was finished as he emerged from the blast blackened and singed, but with an intense effort he managed to play on the lines of magnetic force again, reversing he flight and slamming headlong into the rock-pile with all the strength he could. The wave of rubble hurtled down towards the amazed Tails and pounded him with boulder after boulder. As the dust cleared away, there was one question on everyone's lips; had Ninetales been crushed by the attack, or had Metagross fainted from the exertion? Metagross stumbled over the debris back onto the flat battle-field, his legs shivering uncontrollably and his eyes darkening by the second as he fought to stay conscious, but amongst the rubble an unmoving golden form was evident; Tails had fainted, whilst Metagross survived, albeit narrowly.

"Ninetales is unable to battle. Metagross is the winner. This match goes to Ari Harper!" the judge announced, several seconds before Metagross gave up the ghost and collapsed.

"Phew... You had me worried there, Metagross. Good work," Ari said, his heart fluttering as he recalled the fainted Steel Pokemon.

"Tails, you did very well. Metagross must have dodged the worst of our Fire Blast by throwing himself backwards," Alessandra said, stroking her Pokemon's fur as he slowly returned to consciousness. "Thank you for the battle," she addressed Ari, who smiled.

"Thank _you_," he countered. "You're a good Trainer, I have to admit. Metagross did me proud,"

"Indeed," Alessandra concurred gloomily, then made her way into the stands as Ari exited to the waiting room, wiping his brow and smirking at his narrow win. But this time he had used two of his brother's Pokemon; next time, he'd use his own, and he'd defeat his opponent with ease. Still, Alessandra had been a tough opponent, and if they only got tougher he was in for a difficult battle next time. Meanwhile, Alessandra took her seat next to Markus Pearl, looking forlorn and clutching the rose he had given her, contemplating its significance.

"Don't worry, Alex," Markus said comfortingly. "You're still a fantastic Trainer. Way better than me,"

"You're always so nice to me, Markus. I'm lucky to have someone like you," Alessandra replied, looking up at him and smiling sincerely. Markus blushed and for the third time today he mustered all the nerves he could to tell Alessandra how he felt, but as soon as he began to speak, someone sat down beside him.

"Hi, my name's Kurogasa! I competed in the tournament too, but I got knocked out by some guy called Jason," the Trainer said happily. "Don't look so down, it's not the end of the world," Alessandra and Markus looked at the oblivious Kurogasa with annoyance, then looked at each other and sighed. It didn't look like it was going to be their day today after all.

**Congratulations Ari Harper (Serpent's Ballet) and commiserations Alessandra Cesarini (Legendary Fairy)! Once again, I hope I stayed true to your OCs and provided an entertaining battle. Thank you everyone for your reviews and compliments about the tournament, I really appreciate the feedback.**

**Next time: Ariana Ada (Kris 77) vs Yuuki (yuukifan001)!**


	5. Tournament Battle 3 Ariana vs Yuuki

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon (unfortunately).

**Pokemon Tournament Battle 3**

**Ariana Ada (Kris 77) vs Yuuki (yuukifan001)**

"You'd better cheer me on, OK? Because you know I'll kill you if you don't," Yuuki teased her sister Delia.

"Aw, you couldn't beat me in a battle, never mind kill me," Delia responded. "And you'd have no chance in a Contest,"

"Contests are for dweebs anyway," Yuuki responded, stroking Fangs the Manectric as Delia pretended to bristle.

"Well, if that's your attitude, maybe I should just cheer for your opponent instead. Yep, I think I'll do that," she said, hands on hips, and she stalked out; however, her words and stance were undermined by a mischievous grin and a final wink before she left.

"What a weirdo, right Fangs?" Yuuki said, rubbing the Manectric on the head, and he growled contentedly, knowing that the bond between the sisters was something special despite their pretend insults and rivalry. Yuuki's opponent was seated on the other side of the waiting room, and she had her brother with her to contrast with Delia.

"I'll be on the sidelines, Ana," Artemis promised solemnly, and Castform squeaked happily from his shoulder. "We're both with you all the way,"

"Thanks, Artemis. You know I need your support to succeed," Ariana replied sincerely.

"No you don't," Artemis smiled. "But it's there anyway, and it always will be. See you later,"

"Bye!" Ariana Ada waved as her brother left, and looked over at her opponent, as they were alone at last. The girl she faced – Yuuki, if she'd heard the other girl correctly – was around the same age as she was, but looked her age, to Ariana's annoyance. She had dark brown, curly hair, with white bangs, and she seemed slender and pale, especially beside the dog-like Electric Pokemon she stroked. From here, it seemed as though her eyes were slightly different shades, although it was probably a trick of the light. She wore a simple white shirt under a hoodie, as well as artfully-torn jeans and stylish black Converses. Red and black biker gloves clothed her hands, and she seemed quite relaxed, staring off into space whilst her fingers scratched Manectric seemingly of their own accord.

Although Yuuki appeared to be lost in her own little world, she was actually examining her soon-to-be opponent carefully. The girl looked about thirteen, two years younger than herself, so that meant she at least had the advantage of experience on her side. Her skin was quite tanned and she had black hair, which contrasted with her emerald-green eyes; these in turn were a similar colour to the green leggings she wore. Over the leggings was a white mini-skirt, and on her wrists was a strange charm bracelet decorated with five Pokeballs. The last Pokeball was suspended on a chain around her neck, alongside a silvery locket inlaid with flower designs. Almost unnoticeable amongst her black hair was a pair of sunglasses, perched on her head as if she had forgotten they were there. Neither of the girls had any badges, at least none on display, so it was difficult for them to assess the skill level of their foe; however, before either of them could brood on this too much, a voice emanated from a nearby speaker,

"Will Yuuki Clearwater and Ariana Ada please enter the battle-field. The match is about to begin," Both girls got to their feet, and Fangs crackled with electricity as he prepared to fight, growling with anticipation.

"Hi, I'm Ariana Ada," Ariana said as they left the room together.

"Hi. My name's Yuuki. I'll do my best to give you a match you'll never forget, kiddo," Yuuki said, ruffling Ariana's hair in what she intended to be an affectionate way. As Yuuki turned away, Ariana's eyes narrowed and she snarled angrily; 'kiddo'? She'd show this Yuuki who the kid was! And she messed up her hair too... This called for some patented Ariana Revenge.

"Battling for us today for a place in the semi-finals are Ariana Ada and Yuuki, two up-and-coming Trainers hoping to show everyone how skilled they really are. Coaching for Ariana Ada is her brother, Artemis Ada," the announcer said, and Yuuki cursed to herself. Coach? Why didn't she think of that? However, Fangs seemed to sense her feelings and nudged her affectionately.

"You're right, Fangs. Besides, Delia would probably be a heckler rather than a coach..." Yuuki said to herself, then snapped out of her daydream and took up a battle stance opposite her foe. From this far away, Ariana looked quite sweet and innocent, and Yuuki wondered whether she actually had the proper temperament for battles. Maybe she'd better hold back; she didn't want to make a little girl cry, after all.

"Are you going to start out as usual? Dodge and Iron Tail?" Artemis asked his sister, sitting close by.

"Yep. Honey's going to show her what's what. 'Kiddo'... I'll show her kiddo..." Ariana muttered, and continued railing against Yuuki under her breath until the judge arrived.

"Will both Trainers please release their Pokemon in three... two... one..." he lowered his flags and the two Trainers unleashed their first battlers in tandem.

"Honey, go!"

"Fangs, you're first!" The Manectric galloped onto the field from his Trainer's side and was faced with a Pichu, who mirrored her Trainer's sweetness in every detail. "A little girl with a Pichu? Aw man... what sort of tournament is this, anyway? Am I in the eight-to-thirteen category by mistake or something?"

"Begin!" the judge said curtly, and Yuuki snapped back to attention.

"OK, Fangs, use Tackle! But not too hard," she added, and Manectric charged towards Pichu, hoping to tap the Electric mouse and avoid hurting it too much.

"Get ready, Honey..." Ariana grinned, seeing her opponent's guard lowered. "Now! Dodge it and use Iron Tail!" Honey easily slipped away from Manectric's lacklustre Tackle, and before the Lightning Pokemon could express any surprise, he was being battered through the air by a fierce Iron Tail straight to the face.

"What the...?! Sorry, Fangs, I guess I let appearances deceive me," Yuuki said, taken completely by surprise, and Manectric rubbed his bruised snout and whimpered painfully. "Let's not hold anything back, then. Start off with a Crunch!"

"Finally," Ariana said as Fangs charged forwards, baring his sharp teeth. "Honey, Shockwave!" Pichu took a moment to store up energy, then unleashed an unerring arrow-like bolt of lightning that sped straight for Manectric.

"Can't dodge it, Fangs, so keep going! Try and absorb it and store it up for a Thunder Fang!" Fangs suffered the Shockwave head-on, but as the electricity crackled around him, he manipulated the energy and directed it into his mouth until his jaws were spitting sparks.

"Don't worry, Honey. Stand strong and use Thunder!" Pichu screwed up his face, amassing all the energy he could before directing it straight towards Manectric in a throbbing, twisting lightning bolt just as fast as the Shockwave and twice as powerful.

"Evasive manoeuvres, Fangs!" Yuuki countered, and Fangs continued towards his foe, dashing from side to side as Pichu struggled to keep up the voltage and the ground crackled with misdirected lightning.

"Honey, hit him with Iron Tail again!" Ariana said, seeing that Manectric was too agile to hit with something as unwieldy as Thunder, and Honey's tail glowed as he stoically met Manectric's charge. The Pichu leapt forwards and swung his whole body around, building up as much momentum as he could, whilst Fangs opened his crackling jaws as wide as he could. With a brief flash of light, the two Pokemon clashed, and when the glare subsided, Manectric was gripping Pichu's tail in his sharp fangs as the Tiny Mouse Pokemon wriggled with discomfort. "Honey, concentrate!" Ariana said quickly as her Pichu shuddered under Manectric's electrical attack. Honey closed his eyes and did his best to redirect the energy flooding into him until Manectric yelped and leapt backwards, shaking his head from side to side and spasming slightly.

"And Manectric has suffered Pichu's famous Static ability, and seems to be Paralysed!" the announcer cried.

"Keep going, Fangs! We can do this," Yuuki encouraged, and Manectric straightened up, trying to ignore his twitching muscles as they threatened to seize up at any time. "Hit Pichu with a Thunderbolt!"

"Honey, dodge it!" Ariana commanded, and Pichu was soon on the defensive, leaping around as Manectric's Thunderbolt came too close for comfort. By staying in one place and using long-range attacks, Manectric was avoiding the effects of his Paralysis; something that drastically needed to change. "Use Zap Cannon!" Ariana ordered, and Pichu jumped upwards, aiming a throbbing globe of electricity at his foe whilst simultaneously evading another bolt of lightning. Just as Ariana predicted, it was off-course; Zap Cannon was hard to aim at the best of times, but when dodging it was practically impossible to land a hit, even on a stationary opponent. However, she had planned on it missing; with a loud crackle, it slammed into the ground at Manectric's feet and threw up a cloud of dust that concealed the dog-like beast from view, providing a temporary smokescreen so Pichu could get back onto the attack.

"Fangs, Odor Sleuth, then Return!" Yuuki countered as soon as she spotted her rival's plan, and Manectric instantly sniffed out Pichu through the dust before running into a powerful charge, surrounded by a pinkish hue powered by the love for his Trainer. Honey squealed as Manectric battered him backwards, but Ariana was instantly there with a counter-command;

"Honey, Sweet Kiss!" As Pichu landed, he mimed blowing Manectric a kiss, and a translucent pink heart drifted from his lips, moving slowly towards its wolfish target.

"Fangs, dodge it!" Yuuki said immediately, but Manectric was hunched over, growling, as he found himself unable to move a muscle. "Hit it with Thunderbolt, then," she improvised, and a blast of lightning lanced onto the floating heart; to Yuuki's dismay, on impact the heart exploded into dozens of smaller hearts, which rained down on Fangs in a pink shower that sent his mind reeling with confusion. "Uh oh... Fangs, concentrate! Pichu's just a little to the left, right in front of you! Use Return!" Manectric dashed forwards, but he was completely off-target, and soon he got tangled up in his own legs and met the ground face-first as he tripped.

"Honey, Iron Tail!" Ariana said, smiling sweetly at her humbled opponent, and Manectric was blasted back to his Trainer's feet as Pichu struck him as hard as he could. Fangs trembled on the ground, but managed to slowly push himself back up, obviously weakened but determined not to go down easily.

"Fangs, don't overexert yourself..." Yuuki said, seeing her Pokemon close to fainting, but Manectric snarled and stood his ground. "OK then, show me a Thunderbolt!"

"Honey, use Thunder!" Ariana said straight away, and Pichu hopped aside from the Thunderbolt before zapping Manectric with hundreds of volts in the space of mere seconds. Fangs' eyelids fluttered, he whined, and his legs finally collapsed beneath him.

"Manectric is unable to battle! Pichu is the winner!" the judge announced, raising the green flag as Manectric's picture went blank.

"Don't worry about it, Fangs. I underestimated her, but now I know that cute look is just a front. I won't hold back this time," Yuuki promised, glaring at Ariana as Fangs limped over to watch the rest of the battle.

"Honey, you were awesome!" Ariana said, cuddling the babied Electric Pokemon close. "That'll show her we're playing for keeps!"

"And so the duel of Electric types is fittingly decided with a powerful Thunder from Pichu, and Ariana wins the first match!" the announcer said as the judge stepped up to signify the start of the battle again.

"Please release your Pokemon in three... two... one..." he said curtly, and swept his flags through the air.

"Charles, I choose you!"

"Apollo, you're up!"

"Yuuki has picked Kingdra, whilst Ariana has gone with Growlithe! This will certainly be a difficult battle for the Puppy Pokemon, but as Ari's Metagross showed earlier, the type match-up isn't everything!" the announcer said knowledgeably, and Alessandra Cesarini shifted in her seat uncomfortably as she remembered the battle.

"Begin!" the judge barked.

"Piece of cake, Charles! Let's get things going with a Whirlpool!" Yuuki ordered, and a swirling twister of frothing water roiled from Kingdra's snout, thundering towards the defiant Growlithe as the Dragon stood back and admired its handiwork.

"Apollo, we'll need to use our heads here! Use Fire Spin to counter it!" Ariana said; she was worried, but she tried not to show it. After all, hadn't the commentator guy said a type disadvantage had already been overcome? If that Trainer could do it, so could she. Growlithe unleashed his own tornado, but it was composed of raging flame rather than churning liquid. The two twisters collided on the centre of the battle-field, creating huge clouds of steam and a violent hissing noise, but Ariana didn't entertain hopes of Fire Spin winning, so she cried, "Apollo, Iron Tail! Quickly!" Growlithe took advantage of the steam, skirting the battling forces of nature and swinging his glowing tail across Kingdra's face before retreating again as his Fire Spin exploded, taking the Whirlpool with it.

"He's quick, but he can't run forever. Charles, Dragon Rage!" Yuuki commanded, and strangely-coloured flames erupted from Kingdra's snout, dripping sparks that exploded as they floated to the ground.

"Apollo, Flamethrower!" Ariana said, and soon Kingdra's fire was being halted by Growlithe's; however, to the surprise of both sides, the collision of fire reacted strangely, exploding in a ball of flames that tossed each Pokemon back with ease, searing them with fire. However, Growlithe strangely seemed even stronger after the explosion, as to Ariana's delight his Flash Fire ability activated. "Cool! Let's keep up the offensive! Flamethrower again!"

"Charles, are you alright?" Yuuki asked, and Kingdra hopped back to his curled tail, suffering Growlithe's ineffective Flamethrower with little more than annoyance. "Hit Growlithe with Swift!" Shining stars dissipated Growlithe's fire stream before redirecting themselves, hurtling towards the Fire Pokemon from all sides.

"Apollo, Will-o-Wisp!" Ariana said worriedly, seeing that Growlithe couldn't dodge, and the Puppy Pokemon yelped as each star struck him, staggering backwards. However, true to his fierce nature, he leapt forwards as soon as the pain began to fade, sending a trio of purple, fiery orbs towards Kingdra that hoped to badly burn him.

"Charles, Hydro Pump!" Yuuki parried, and the Will-o-Wisps were destroyed completely by a thick water jet from Kingdra's mouth, which Growlithe luckily took the initiative to avoid without commands from his Trainer. However, Kingdra kept up the attack, forcing Growlithe to keep dodging whilst Ariana tried to think up a plan.

"Apollo, get up close and use Iron Tail!" Ariana said, hoping to catch Kingdra by surprise in the absence of any other ideas. Apollo obediently charged towards Kingdra, powering up his tail and fearlessly side-stepping the continuous Hydro Pump.

"Charles, don't let him psyche you out! To the right!" Yuuki said, and Kingdra adjusted his angle slightly as Growlithe changed direction, pounding the helpless puppy with his deadly Hydro Pump. Growlithe yelped as the jet of water blasted him helplessly backwards, soaking his orange fur and chilling his fiery body to the bone. "Hmm... he's strong," Yuuki admitted as Apollo got back to his feet, shaking his sodden fur as hard as he could. "Next time give it full power, OK Charles?" Kingdra nodded solemnly, staring over at Growlithe challengingly.

"Good one, Apollo," Ariana said anxiously, patting Apollo on the head as he doggedly got back up into a fighting stance. "This is where we hit them really hard, right?" Growlithe nodded and growled shortly, focusing on Kingdra as if taking his eyes off the Dragon would sap the last of the strength from his waning body.

"Charles, Rain Dance!" Yuuki said, and the sky suddenly darkened; clouds, purple and black, swirled above the stadium, and an ominous rumble of thunder rolled over the arena. Rain lashed down in icy sheets, dousing the entire battle-field as Charles directed it away from the crowd and Trainers. By the sidelines, the Castform on Artemis' shoulder changed form, looking as if his head was suspended in a water droplet as Artemis himself looked on nervously.

"Things may look bad, but there's still hope, Apollo. Use Overheat to beat Kingdra once and for all!" Ariana said, refusing to back down, and Growlithe's jaws opened to unleash an incredible cone of white-hot flame, all of the Fire Pokemon's power funnelled into a single move.

"Charles, dodge it!" Yuuki snapped, and Kingdra danced away from the attack with amazing swiftness, circling the drenched Growlithe like an ethereal wraith as the Puppy gave up. "Swift Swim is a great ability, don't you think?" Yuuki smiled, but Ariana didn't return it. "Finish him with Draco Meteor!"

"Apollo, Iron Tail, to defend yourself!" Ariana cried, and Growlithe's tail began to glow as several huge, shining comets lanced down from the disturbed sky. Apollo didn't flinch as they plummeted towards him, and managed to deflect one with a spirited Iron Tail before the rest hammered home, one after the other. The Puppy Pokemon was knocked out even before the final one hit, and the judge raised the red flag as the victorious Charles allowed the storm to die down.

"Growlithe is unable to battle! Kingdra is the winner," the judge said as Ariana regretfully recalled her Pokemon.

"Come back, Apollo. You were great. You won't go unavenged, I promise," she said softly.

"Yes! Charles, that was fantastic!" Yuuki said, punching the air and calling back the Dragon Pokemon.

"And Kingdra finally manages to defeat the brave Growlithe he opposed with an incredible Draco Meteor and fascinating use of the Swift Swim ability. Which Pokemon will the two competitors choose now?" the commentator said excitedly as the judge lowered his flags again.

"Maryanne, I choose you!"

"Ares, finish this for me!"

"Yuuki has chosen Gardevoir for the final battle, and once again has the advantage over Ariana's Riolu! Is this battle already over?"

"Not if I can help it," Ariana muttered, watching Ares psyche himself up, in stark contrast with the calm, swaying Gardevoir he opposed.

"Wow! Looks like someone's looking out for me today on the luck front. Maryanne, finish this fight for me and you can have all the candy you'll ever want!" Yuuki promised, and Gardevoir smiled excitedly at the prospect of sugar.

"Begin!" the judge said, and Yuuki ordered,

"Maryanne, Captivate!" Maryanne fluttered her eyelashes at Ares, staring into his eyes and smiling softly to lull him into a false sense of security.

"Ignore her, Ares! Use Iron Defence to focus!" Ariana said, and Ares closed his eyes, seeming for a second to be enveloped in a silvery sheen, as if he were a metal statue. When he opened his eyes again, he had shaken off Gardevoir's wiles and was ready to strike back, with a boost to his defences to boot. "Start with an Ice Punch!" Riolu charged forwards, eager to be relentlessly attacking as his fist sparkled with frosty energy.

"Maryanne, Reflect!" Yuuki said; she could see from Riolu's expression that he was an aggressive Pokemon, and the best way to deal with them was to get them frustrated then hit them hard. With little more than a blink Maryanne created a thin panel of energy between her and Ares, and Ares' icy fist slammed into it as the small creature snarled with battle-lust. The Reflect shattered on impact, such was the strength of the blow, but it also blunted Riolu's attack and left the Fighting Pokemon vulnerable. "Use Future Sight!"

"Ares, Zen Headbutt!" Ares lowered his head and rammed Gardevoir in the midriff with deceptive power, sending her floating backwards as all the air left her lungs. However, her eyes glowed blue and soon enough a terrible attack would be headed Ares' way. "Harder, Ares! We need to work for the win! Blaze Kick!" After a short run-up, Ares leapt into the air, his foot blazing as he hurtled towards the seemingly defenceless Gardevoir.

"Maryanne, Shadow Sneak!" Yuuki countered, and Gardevoir flattened herself to the floor until she was a black smudge on the ground, then crept under Riolu's mad leap and reared up behind him as he landed, lashing him with black tentacles before the Psychic Pokemon returned to her true form. Ares snarled viciously and stamped his feet, snapping his jaws and pounding the air with his fists as he vented his rage. Yuuki smiled as she saw her tactic was working, but Ariana also grinned as she realised Ares wasn't going to show his elusive opponent the slightest bit of mercy or restraint.

"Ares, Iron Tail!" she cried, and Ares jumped towards his foe savagely, swinging his glowing tail in a deadly arc.

"Maryanne, it's time for Psychic!" Yuuki said with a flourish, and straight away Riolu's leap was arrested as mental pulses warped his mind and attacked his body, tossing him around like a puppet before finally slamming him back to the floor head-first.

"Ares, no! Get up!" Ariana pleaded, and even to her surprise Ares hopped straight back up, eager to get his overdue vengeance on the taken-aback Gardevoir.

"Now that's some toughness," Yuuki admitted. "Maryanne, Wish!" Gardevoir closed her eyes and placed her palms together as if she were praying for something to happen, and Ariana took the split-second chance to catch her unawares.

"Ares, Blaze Kick!" she commanded, and Riolu leapt again, his foot wreathed in flames as he hurtled towards his hated enemy. The fiery kick slammed her straight in the face, and Ares back-flipped away and landed perfectly as Gardevoir flew backwards, head ringing and face tender with burns. Ares roared victoriously as Gardevoir collected herself, but his cry was cut short as the battle-field went silent; suddenly, a speeding ball of psychic energy slammed into him from the side, sending him flying to land in a crumpled heap on the ground.

"Good timing, Maryanne! Another Future Sight, quickly!" Yuuki said, and Gardevoir's eyes glowed blue unopposed as Riolu struggled back up.

"You can do it, Ares! You're not going to let her beat you, are you?" Ariana said, faking impatience, and Ares snarled with anger and effort combined as he took up a fighting stance. "Good! Now, show her an Ice Punch!"

"Maryanne, Reflect!" Yuuki said, and yet again Riolu's hammer-like fist was stopped short by an energy panel; but this time, Yuuki had an ulterior motive. A shooting star suddenly sped overhead, and Gardevoir sighed as soothing, healing energies washed over her; her Wish had come true not a second too soon. Ariana wiped her brow; this was turning out to be tougher than she expected. Gardevoir now looked no worse for wear, whilst Ares was really showing his injuries. Yuuki felt no more secure in her position; it was worrying that Riolu had survived a direct Psychic from Maryanne, as well as a Future Sight, and still he was willing to attack. This needed to end now.

"Maryanne, Psychic!" she said, licking her dry lips, and Maryanne amassed a huge level of psychic power to her command, ready to crush Ares with ease.

"Ares, Force Palm, on the double!" Ariana cried nervously, and Ares dashed forwards, bringing his palm back as he prepared to strike a critical blow. Mental energy washed over him as the Psychic attack began, and he yelped in pain, but that same pain focused his mind and drove him onwards. Maryanne heaped on as much psychic power as she could, making Ares the nexus, hoping to crush him to the floor under the weight of the invisible force she wielded. Ares continued to stagger forwards, but suddenly the battle-field went deadly silent again as another Future Sight finally came into play. The incredible energy ball whistled towards Ares, charging to meet him head on to compile with the Psychic, but Ares merely growled and brought his Force Palm forwards as hard as he could, pushing through the waves of Psychic to batter the Future Sight itself. The psychic orb ricocheted off his palm and careered towards Maryanne, whose eyes widened with shock. She recoiled as the palmed Future Sight crashed into her, her Psychic flailing out of control, and Ares took his last chance to run forwards and slam a second Force Palm right under Maryanne's ribs. The Psychic Pokemon rose up in the air, her hands grasping vainly for thin air before her eyes rolled and she floated back to earth. Gardevoir was beaten, and Riolu laughed savagely as the judge stepped up to announce their victory.

"Gardevoir is unable to battle! Riolu is the winner! Ariana wins the match!"

"Ares, you're a genius!" Ariana squealed as Ares took up a heroic pose. "I can't fault you at all!"

"Maryanne, come back. You were really, really good. Oh well... I guess we're out of it now. Not to worry, it wasn't your fault. I just hope Delia won't be overly cruel with her comments on the battle..." Yuuki mumbled, and Fangs the Manectric chuckled at her silliness, nuzzling her affectionately.

"What drama! What a triumph! What spirit from Riolu! After a fantastic comeback, Ariana is back in the game and proceeds to the next round of the tournament! Well done Ariana!" the commentator cried, sounding positively tearful with emotion.

"Yes, well done," Artemis said, walking up behind his sister. "Ares was brilliant, but I think you should heal him right away. I could see he was getting hurt out there, even if he won't admit it,"

"Of course. Thanks for your support, Artemis. Let's go and plan for round two!" Ariana replied, waving to the crowds as she and her brother left the stadium. She had, for once, feared a loss for a moment there, but she realised that her Pokemon were strong enough to fight off any disadvantage. As she had thought earlier, all they needed was hope, and skill, and strength; the rest would fall into place of its own accord.

**Congratulations Ariana Ada (Kris 77) and commiserations Yuuki (yuukifan001)! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed to tell me their thoughts, and I hope the battlers today were happy with how I portrayed their characters. **

**Next time: Olivia Rowan (Kairi Avalon) vs Corey Spina (Spartan20)!**


	6. Tournament Battle 4 Olivia vs Corey

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon (unfortunately).

**Pokemon Tournament Battle 4**

**Olivia Rowan (Kairi Avalon) vs Corey Spina (Spartan20)**

"Ace, show me your Aura Sphere!" Olivia said, and the Lucario she was with put his palms together, slowly fashioning a blue orb of sheer energy drawn from his very surroundings. When Olivia deemed it was big enough, and Ace still had good control over it, she said, "Alright! High-five!" Lucario let the Aura Sphere vanish and complied with his Trainer's commands, slapping palms with her to celebrate his growing mastery of the attack. "You know you're going to be a supporter in this match, right? You're my secret weapon; I'll need to unleash you in the finals, to really be sure of victory," Ace nodded, happy just to be with his Trainer and not in his Pokeball for the first round of the tournament. All of a sudden, the door to the waiting room opened, and a man walked in whom she assumed to be her challenger. He was relatively tall and quite well-built, as if he preferred the Fighting type. As well as a T-shirt and shorts, he wore a light green windbreaker jacket, and some fingerless gloves. His eyes were concealed by sunglasses, but he wore a friendly smile, so Olivia didn't feel in the least bit intimidated.

"Hi. The name's Corey Spina," he said jovially, walking up to her to shake her hand. Olivia herself was dressed in a black shirt and jeans, with a short-sleeved red jacket on top. Around her neck was a sapphire pendant that obviously held great importance for her, as she occasionally touched it lightly without even being aware of doing so. Her purple hair was in quite a tomboyish style, and although it covered most of the left half of her face, the right half was protected by several red hair-clips that pinned the bangs in place. Sixteen badges were pinned on her red jacket compared to none on Spina's, but she knew Gym battles were nothing like tournament battles. In tournaments, long-term tactics and Pokemon choice were pivotal, and you couldn't rely on facing just one type.

"Cool. I'm Olivia Rowan," she replied, accepting the handshake and smiling. "Feeling ready to battle today?"

"Never felt better. What about you?"

"I'm psyched up for the win, as usual really. I won't hold back, no matter how deceptively friendly you appear!" she joked.

"That's what I like to hear. We'll give each other a real good battle today, that's what I'm thinking," Corey replied, but as he opened his mouth to continue, the speakers summoned them to the battle-field. "Oops! I suppose we'd better go. Good luck, Olivia,"

"Thanks. Good luck to you too, Corey,"

"Here we have Olivia Rowan, a Trainer from Twinleaf Town who has conquered all eight badges not only in the region of Sinnoh, but in Kanto as well! She seems to have brought along a Lucario too, but whether he's a supporter, coach or battler is open to debate. Facing her is Corey Spina from Snowpoint City, winner of the well-known Sinnoh League, and who thus has some tournament pedigree behind him in this battle," the announcer informed the audience as each challenger took their place.

"Will the challengers please release their Pokemon in three... two... one..." the judge said, then lowered his different-coloured flags to signify the first battle between the two.

"Toxicroak, go!"

"Forest, I choose you!"

"Corey has sent out Toxicroak, and is countered by Olivia's Torterra! On the surface, as a Poison type Toxicroak appears to have the advantage over a Grass type like Torterra. However, don't count the Continent Pokemon out, because he's partly Ground type too, meaning some of his attacks will be super-effective against Toxicroak,"

"Begin!"

"Forest, start off with a Take Down!" Olivia ordered, and Torterra began thundering towards Toxicroak like a living battering ram.

"Toxicroak, Detect!" Corey parried, and Toxicroak rolled aside from Torterra's charge, evading the heavy attack by centimetres. "Now, Toxic!" Toxicroak unfurled from his roll and twisted to face Torterra, his throat gargling as he prepared to spit vile juices over the Grass Pokemon he opposed.

"Forest, Withdraw!" Olivia ordered, and Torterra's limbs and head disappeared within his thick, impervious shell. The disgusting ooze that Toxicroak spat out splattered against his opponent's side, hissing and bubbling like noxious acid, but as soon as the worst of it had died down Torterra was back out of his shell, unharmed.

"Nice tactic. Toxicroak, go for a head shot with Brick Break!" Corey cried, and Toxicroak leapt upwards, his hand glowing as he brought it down in a deadly arc.

"Forest, up! Use Crunch!" Torterra angled his head upwards and saw Toxicroak's attack speeding towards him, but luckily he managed to keep his cool, opening his horned jaws and fastening them around Toxicroak's hand. Toxicroak screeched with pain and tried to pull free, but Torterra would never let go until his Trainer commanded. "Now use Sunny Day!" From the leaves of the tree on Torterra's back, a small sun emerged, floating over the battle-field and raising the temperature noticeably.

"Toxicroak, get yourself free with Poison Jab!" Corey ordered, and Toxicroak stopped writhing in pain, jabbing his stinger right on the end of Torterra's snout and making the beast roar with pain and stumble backwards, releasing him.

"Don't worry, Forest! We've got him right where we want him!" Olivia encouraged. If she knew her types, then Toxicroak had an ability called Dry Skin, which meant that in sunny weather his sensitive flesh started to burn, meaning that his will to fight would be sapped all the quicker. On top of this, Sunny Day allowed her to unleash a barrage of Solarbeams to defeat the Poison frog as soon as possible.

"Toxicroak, don't lose heart! Hit Torterra with Sludge Bomb!" Corey said, trying not to think about the consequences of the well-timed Sunny Day. Toxicroak opened his wide mouth and regurgitated a spray of sickening purple globs that flew in an arc towards the waiting Grass Pokemon.

"Forest, stay strong and keep using Solarbeam!" Olivia cried, and although Torterra grunted with pain and staggered backwards under the disgusting attack, he dug his feet in as his tree started to glow with power.

"Toxicroak, keep using Detect!" Corey counter-commanded, hoping that an opening would present itself soon, and suddenly chaos broke loose. Torterra stood like an unmoving tank, sending beam after beam of pure, searing natural energy towards Toxicroak, who avoided each one by a tiny amount, bending over backwards, jumping upwards, twisting in mid-air and generally showing off all the agility he had at his disposal. However, Corey knew Detect was going to fail sooner rather than later, and the time to press the attack was now, when Torterra thought he was unassailable. "Toxicroak, Cross Chop!"

"Forest, keep up the Solarbeams! Don't let him get anywhere near you!" Olivia cried, and Torterra grunted with acknowledgement, aiming his Solarbeams straight at Toxicroak as the beleaguered frog dashed into the heart of the storm, his arms crossed across his chest and glowing with power. Clods of earth and clouds of dust flew into the air like fountains as each beam missed its mark, battering the stadium floor and making it seem as if Toxicroak was desperately dashing through a bombed-out warzone. Eventually, inevitably, the Sunny Day worked its magic; Toxicroak hesitated for a split-second too long, his skin uncomfortable under the hated sun, and a Solarbeam hit him dead-on. Toxicroak flew backwards, his attack forgotten, and landed in a sprawled heap as Torterra roared victoriously.

"Come on, Toxicroak! Show me some of that spirit! You aren't going to let a bit of sunshine get you down, are you? Now get back out there and show Torterra a Poison Jab!" Corey ordered.

"Toxicroak," Toxicroak said hazily, but he got to his feet nonetheless and began charging towards Torterra again, directing all the poisonous fluid in his body to the tips of his dripping stingers for the maximum possible impact.

"Forest, he's heading straight for you! Time for Earthquake!" Olivia said quickly, and Torterra hopped into the air; as he landed, powerful shockwaves rolled from the point of impact, making the whole arena vibrate. Toxicroak, his mind fuzzy under the glare of the sun, nevertheless realised that when the ground was shaking, major pain was imminent. Crouching down for a split-second, he leapt into the air as high as he could, letting the Earthquake pass underneath harmlessly before landing right in front of Torterra and jabbing two poison-laden stingers right into his face. The Grass Pokemon stumbled backwards, his mind swimming as toxins attacked him from within, and within seconds he was overcome. The battle-field shook as his legs gave way beneath him and he fainted.

"Toxicroak comes back with a vengeance, overcoming the Sunny Day, avoiding the Earthquake and surviving a Solarbeam to stick Torterra on his stingers! It seemed to be all over for Toxicroak for a minute as Olivia's use of Sunny Day was perfectly executed, but the Poison Mouth Pokemon was not to be denied," the announcer said fervently.

"Toxicroak, return. You were seriously good, but I can tell you need a rest," Corey said, recalling the frog before he fainted in front of everyone.

"Forest, come back. I guess I just got a bit overconfident and underestimated Toxicroak's power. OK, we'll show them this time that we don't need gimmicks to win, right Ace?"

"Lucario!" Ace responded happily, eager to see his Trainer move onto the second round where he might get some action.

"Please release your Pokemon in three... two... one..." the judge interrupted their reveries, and they both hurled their second Pokeballs into the ring.

"Kangaskhan, it's you!"

"Show them what you've got, Zeke!"

"Corey has sent out Kangaskhan to face Olivia's Buizel; this time, neither side has an advantage. It will be purely down to tactics as to who wins this match," the announcer said, and the judge cried,

"Begin!"

"Zeke, start off with a Water Gun!" Olivia cried, and Buizel spat a jet of water towards the waiting Kangaskhan as she looked to her master for orders.

"OK, Kangaskhan, Sucker Punch!" Corey parried, and Kangaskhan charged forwards, dashing from side to side and just avoiding the Water Gun before hammering Buizel with a volley of blows.

"Zeke, hit her back with a Doubleslap!" Kangaskhan hissed with pain as Buizel leapt straight back up, using his tails to batter her around the face as hard as he could before backing away to assess the damage. Kangaskhan snarled and favoured her aching face, but she was ready to strike back, so Corey commanded,

"Kangaskhan, show him a Mega Punch!"

"Zeke, Water Pulse!" Olivia ordered, and Buizel formed a globe of water in his palms, tossing it towards Kangaskhan like a baseball pitcher. However, Kangaskhan wasn't going to give in easily, and the Normal Pokemon dodged aside from the missile and swung her glowing fist around, hammering Buizel across the face and sending him flying. "Buizel, air recovery!" Olivia said, certain this was going to catch her foes unawares. Buizel began rapidly rotating his tails, and soon they allowed him to hover like a helicopter until he gently touched down, eager to get into battle again. "Let's try a Sonicboom!"

"Kangaskhan, counter it with Dizzy Punch!" Corey cried, and her fist crackled with mind-bending power as Buizel's swishing tails broke the sound barrier, sending a sizzling slice of sonic energy towards his foe. Kangaskhan roared as she brought her bulky fist into play again, and with a loud crack she completely deflected the Sonicboom as Buizel landed back on the floor. "It's a stalemate so far, but that's going to change real soon. Kangaskhan, Crunch! Aim for his tails!" Kangaskhan rumbled forwards towards Buizel, her fangs sharp as she prepared to bite him as hard as she could.

"Zeke, stand firm!" Olivia said, and Buizel obediently, albeit reluctantly, stayed where he was as Kangaskhan slammed into him, snapping her jaws shut on his famous tails and exerting horrible pressure. "Show her Aqua Tail!" Suddenly Kangaskhan spluttered and coughed, releasing Buziel and reeling backwards as water flooded her mouth; a second later, Buizel swung in a water-veiled tail from each side, clamping her head between them like a vice.

"Kangaskhan, Mega Punch! Get out of there!" Corey shouted, and Buziel was sent flying by another glowing blow from Kangaskhan, whose head was ringing after the double impact. "Kangaskhan, are you OK?" Kangaskhan nodded wearily, but before she could take up a defensive stance, Olivia was taking her opportunity.

"Zeke, Brine!" she ordered, and Buziel blasted Kangaskhan off her feet with a spray of salty water that made her injuries sting painfully. "She's almost down! Continue with a Quick Attack!"

"Kangaskhan, Endure!" Corey ordered, and Kangaskhan got back to her feet and stood firm just in time, not moving an inch as Buizel slammed into her. As the Water Pokemon recoiled, stunned by his attack's ineffectiveness, it was Corey's turn to take command. "Kangaskhan, Body Slam!" Kangaskhan toppled forwards onto her floored foe and crushed him beneath her huge weight, hoping to paralyse his muscles so that he couldn't pull off any more smart dodges.

"Zeke, no! Use Water Gun!" Olivia pleaded, and Kangaskhan was forced onto the defensive as the desperately pinned Buizel unleashed another jet of water, focused solely on escape; the Normal Pokemon covered her face and growled as the Water Gun pounded her, recoiling from the powerful strike and allowing Buizel some breathing room.

"Get back in there, Kangaskhan! Don't let him get away! Use Dizzy Punch!" Corey ordered impatiently, seeing Buizel mobile again and eager to finish him off once and for all.

"Zeke, dodge it, and use Headbutt!" Olivia counter-commanded expertly, and Buizel ducked beneath the fierce blow, feeling the fur on his head ruffle before he slammed his head forwards into Kangaskhan's stomach. The Normal Pokemon staggered backwards, gasping for air, and Olivia once again saw a chance to finish off the match. "Aqua Tail!" Buizel jumped up and swung his two tails in for a single hammer-blow as they gushed water, and Corey cried,

"Kangaskhan, Reversal!" As Kangaskhan reeled from the double-whammy, her hand flailed out and grabbed Zeke by his two tails. In a single, fluid movement, she swept him down through the air and slammed him to the floor with terrifying power.

"Zeke, boost yourself over here with Water Gun!" Olivia commanded, trusting his Contest experience, and Buizel expertly directed the water jet at the floor, propelling himself through the air before landing at his Trainer's feet as smoothly as can be. "We need to take Kangaskhan down, and quickly. I have a plan, so you'll have to trust me, OK?" Buizel nodded once and waited for Corey to launch his attack.

"Kangaskhan, Buizel's weakening, I can sense it. That Reversal really got to him. All we need to do now is nail him with a really powerful move, so use Outrage!" Kangaskhan threw her head back and let out a screeching roar, barrelling towards Buizel as a miasma of red-orange energy swirled around her, unheeding of anything but her waiting opponent as she concentrated on smashing into him as hard as possible.

"Zeke, get ready! Kangaskhan's coming!" Olivia hissed, and Buizel stood firm, doing his best to look confident and strong as the Normal Pokemon raced towards him with rage in her eyes. "Act like you're going to take the charge," Olivia said quickly, and Buizel reluctantly shifted his position as if he hoped to block Kangaskhan with the weight of his furry orange body, lulling her into a false sense of security. "Now! Use your tails to boost you upwards!" Buizel flipped out his powerful tails from underneath him, soaring into the air as the snarling Normal Pokemon battered only thin air with her attack.

"Kangaskhan, he's above you!" Corey said with more than a hint of shock in his voice, stunned as Buizel rotated his tails like a helicopter blade, hovering above the stupefied Kangaskhan and ready for orders.

"Buizel, Water Pulse!" Olivia cried.

"Kangaskhan, Mega Punch!" Corey counter-commanded, but Kangaskhan wasn't listening, trying to jump high enough to grab Buizel and unleash her Outrage upon him. Zeke timed the move perfectly; just as Kangaskhan leapt towards him for the third time, she met the water globe head-on, and it exploded and blasted her helplessly back to the ground. Buizel landed triumphantly in front of his Trainer, crossing his arms over his chest, but it seemed the battle wasn't over yet; Kangaskhan painstakingly got to her feet and swung her fist towards her foe, using Mega Punch as Corey had commanded. However, the punch missed Zeke completely as the confused Kangaskhan underestimated the distance between them, and she ended up battering herself with the out-of-control strike.

"Kangaskhan is unable to battle! Buizel is the winner!" the judge announced as the Normal Pokemon collapsed, and her picture on the big screen faded.

"Kangaskhan, return. I suppose I didn't expect the confusion to backfire quite that badly, but you gave Buizel a good battle anyway,"

"Zeke, you were excellent! Did you see the look on Kangaskhan's face when you used the helicopter move? No wonder it won me that Contest back in the day, I'd forgotten just how cool it is," Olivia gave Buizel a high-five before returning him, facing Corey again and ready to begin the final battle.

"Kangaskhan's confusion came back to haunt Corey there as Buizel pulls off an undoubtedly crowd-pleasing move followed by a deadly Water Pulse. Time for the final battle, which will decide just who our final semi-finalist is," said the announcer excitedly.

"Release your Pokemon in three... two... one..." As the flags were lowered, the final first-round competitors were released from their Pokeballs.

"Magmortar, I choose you!"

"Dodger, go get 'em!"

"Corey goes in for the kill with an impressive Magmortar, whilst Olivia chooses a plucky Pupitar to face off against him. At first glance Pupitar has a type advantage, but Magmortars are known for their sheer power in battle, power that might even be able to overcome Pupitar's thick armour. Nevertheless, I don't think we can expect Pupitar to just stand there, so Magmortar will have to be at his best,"

"Hmm... We need to hit Magmortar hard and fast, Dodger. Show no mercy," Olivia said, and Pupitar nodded silently.

"Magmortar, this one's going to be tough. Get that Flamethrower ready to go at a moment's notice," Corey said, and Magmortar aimed his cannon-like arm at Pupitar obediently.

"Begin!"

"Magmortar, hit him hard with Flamethrower!" Corey said immediately, and flames gushed out of Magmortar's arm, engulfing Pupitar in an incredibly powerful inferno.

"Dodger, Screech!" Olivia countered, and Pupitar pushed against the fire, trusting his rock-hard shell to protect him as he let out a terrible shriek, like rock and metal scraping against each other. Magmortar staggered backwards and covered his ears against the horrible noise, allowing his Flamethrower to fizzle out as the sonic energy assailed him mercilessly. "Yes! Now, Crunch!" Pupitar darted forwards towards his foe, rising up in the air before slamming back down with stadium-shaking force as he pinned Magmortar to the ground helplessly under his heavy body.

"Magmortar, Confuse Ray!" Magmortar's eyes glowed as he transfixed Pupitar with mind-bending rays, trying to get the cocoon-like creature to hurt itself to set it up for a finisher.

"Dodger, Focus Energy!" Olivia ordered, and Pupitar closed his eyes, psyching himself up and guarding himself against the power trying to destabilise his mind.

"His eyes are closed, Magmortar! Thunderbolt!" Corey said excitedly, hoping a close-range attack would hurt his foe badly, and Magmortar shrugged the pupa off him and blasted him with hundreds of electrical volts, keeping him pinned to the ground as he got to his feet and poured on the power.

"Dodger, Stone Edge!" Olivia said confidently, seeing that her opponent's guard as down. Pupitar rose up against the Thunderbolt, ignoring it completely with his Ground characteristics, and suddenly the sharp edges of his shell were gleaming. Before Magmortar could even think about dodging, Pupitar slammed into him, projected by the pressurised gas stored in his shell. The huge Fire Pokemon was thrown backwards, mortally wounded by the unexpected blow, but Pupitar hadn't escaped unharmed either; his shell was badly burned by colliding with such a hot foe, and he wriggled uncomfortably with the pain as Magmortar returned to his feet.

"Magmortar, forgive me. I forgot that Pupitar was part Ground type. The pressure must be getting to me," Corey admitted, but Magmortar stood steady, ready to give back some of what he had received. "Show Pupitar an Eruption attack!" Magmortar aimed his arm-cannons into the air, and before Olivia could give an order, molten lava and heavy rocks were cascading down on her Pokemon, burying him beneath a bubbling mire which quickly hardened, rendering him completely imprisoned. "Yes! That took them by surprise!"

"Not for long. Dodger, Ancientpower!" Olivia shouted, hoping Pupitar could hear her within the rocky prison. For a second, there was nothing; but suddenly cracks appeared, and the hardened lava splintered into a thousand chunks as Pupitar thrashed his way free. The lumps of broken rock hovered in mid-air for a moment, then hurtled towards Magmortar, battering him one after the other and forcing him back further and further as he bellowed with pain.

"Magmortar, melt them all with Flamethrower! Then Fire Blast!" Magmortar altered his stance and tried to ignore as the rocks pounded him, extending his arm and unleashing a second inferno that reduced the rest of the Ancientpower into a molten puddle. Not delaying a second, he then blasted an expanding, fiery star towards Pupitar, an incredibly powerful attack that would tax even his rocky armour.

"Dodger, Dig!" Olivia parried, and the fire-star exploded uselessly as Pupitar burrowed into the earth.

"We're going to have to get into our A-game here, Magmortar. This girl's good," Corey admitted. "Use Protect!" Magmortar was enveloped in a green shield, and as Pupitar burst from the ground beneath him, he bounced off it ineffectually and landed close by, looking stunned. On the upside, Olivia reasoned, the Dig had helped him avoid the Fire Blast, and it had also given him time to shed his skin so he wasn't burned anymore. "Magmortar, Rock Tomb!"

"Dodger, Payback!" Olivia countered quickly; she needed to put Magmortar to bed soon. Even Pupitar couldn't stand up to much more fire. Magmortar placed his arms to the ground and blasted it with power, causing the ground to tremble and several huge boulders to rip free and fly up to batter Pupitar mercilessly, coming from all sides. However, Pupitar managed to get a good angle on one of the final ones, and with a crackle of dark energy he slammed the boulder with his body. The rock flew through the air like an arrow, imbued with dark power, and it took Magmortar heavily in the chest. The Fire Pokemon's eyes widened and he keeled forwards, making the stadium rumble as he thumped to the floor. Corey could see the judge was about to announce him unable to battle, so he cried,

"Come on, Magmortar! One last push! Overheat!" Magmortar doggedly pushed himself back to his feet, then fell to his knees, supported by one of his thick arms and breathing heavily.

"Dodger, finish him quickly with a Stone Edge!" Pupitar's shell glowed with a bright sheen and he hurtled towards the broken Fire Pokemon, but as he drew too close for comfort Magmortar's other arm rose, pointing straight at the careening cocoon. With a huge effort, he screwed up everything he had left, and a gigantic blast of white fire erupted from his arm, taking Pupitar head-on and making the whole stadium warm with its intense heat. Dodger's eyes widened, and he pushed against the flames as hard as he could, but suddenly he found he had no more energy to draw on. His mind swam as the flames pounded him, and he fainted, his body blasted all the way back to his Trainer by the fire attack. The judge waited for Pupitar to stir, then stepped forwards and said,

"Pupitar is unable to battle. Magmortar is the winner! This match goes to Corey Spina!"

"Dodger, return. Earthquake... I should have done Earthquake. I just figured a close range attack from someone as strong as you would knock him out, but it just ended up backfiring," Olivia said sadly, but Ace patted her arm encouragingly.

"Lucario," he said solemnly.

"You're always here for me, buddy. Alright, no sweat! We'll just train twice as hard next time! High-five!" Olivia said firmly, and the Fighting Pokemon complied again, happy to see her back to her usual self.

"Magmortar, you showed just how hot your spirit burns. That could easily have turned out differently, but luck was on our side. Return, and rest well. If anyone deserves it, it's you," Corey said, realising he was sweating with nerves as well as from the heat given off by his Pokemon. He was through to the second round, but there was no way he was slacking off. "Thanks for the great battle. One of the most intense I've ever been in," he said, walking over to the smiling Olivia and shaking her hand again.

"Yeah, me too. Good job for winning. I'll be cheering you on in the second round," Olivia promised, and the two Trainers went their separate ways, one of them closer to victory and the other reduced to a spectator by one powerful attack.

"Wow, both of them did well. I'm not sure I could've beaten the winner even if I did get through," Yuuki said from the sidelines, sitting next to her sister Delia as well as Fangs the Manectric.

"Both of them were pretty good, but a Trainer like me would walk this tournament," Delia preened. "Isn't that right, Fangs?" The Manectric grunted in a non-committal way and shifted on his seat so Yuuki could scratch his back a little to the left. If he was honest, he didn't mind not getting through; here he had a prime view of the battle-field, a comfortable seat, and two servants to scratch his back and buy him food for his bravery in the previous match. Life was good.

**Congratulations Corey Spina (Spartan20) and commiserations Olivia Rowan (Kairi Avalon)! I hope you enjoyed all of the first round battles and that the characterisations were up to standard. **

**The semi-finalists are: ****Jason 'Jay' Brown**** (CyberWolf101), ****Ari Harper**** (Serpent's Ballet), ****Ariana Ada**** (Kris 77) and ****Corey Spina**** (Spartan20). I'm not sure when the next battle will be up, as I still have to decide what sort it will be, but after Wednesday they should be fairly regular. The battle between Kangaskhan and Buizel wasn't up to scratch, so I redid it. I hope you find this version more entertaining and better written.**

**Thanks again for reviews, Favourites and so on, I'm really pleased to hear anything you have to say about the battles. Sorry for yet another type disadvantage in the final match-up, I didn't realise until I'd already decided which Pokemon to use.**


	7. SemiFinal 1 Jason vs Ari

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon (unfortunately).

**Pokemon Tournament – Semi-Final 1**

**Jason 'Jay' Brown (CyberWolf101) vs Ari Harper (Serpent's Ballet)**

"Will Jason Brown and Ari Harper please enter the battle-field. The match is about to begin," the familiar voice of the speaker announced, and it seemed to echo around the tense waiting room as both Trainers snapped to attention. Ari was doing his best to stay cool and calm, but it was difficult when so much was at stake. His foe was also an obvious dark horse; the two of them hadn't said a single word together the whole time, and in fact Jason appeared to be dozing. Ari was wondering whether this was over-confidence he could exploit or just a unique method of psyching up; perhaps it was neither, and that disturbed him. He liked to think he was a good judge of character, but he was rattled by the burly Jason, from his white-tinted sunglasses to his complete stillness and silence. He wasn't facing a drama queen or scene-stealer this time, and that should have pleased him, but it actually made him uneasy as to what he should expect.

For his part, Jason also felt the ripple of nerves occasionally wash through him. He was facing a kid – yet again – but this kid seemed more serious and focused than the other guy. His gaze was penetrating and seemed unblinking, as if he was probing his mind for secrets. This made him feel exceptionally uncomfortable – he hated others knowing anything about him, especially someone he was about to fight – but he did his best to just relax and ignore the Trainer, preparing for the trial ahead. It wasn't like him to feel nervous, but the final of the tournament was in sight, and nobody enjoyed losing. He just hadn't expected himself to be so tense about the situation. The only reason he was really participating, after all, was to train up his team and perhaps find some new clients to guard. It was this realisation that the nerves were getting to him that unsettled him the most, and he almost leapt from his seat as the speaker talked, trying his best to hide his nerves.

"We'd better go," Ari piped up, clearing his throat and getting to his feet. "They're waiting," Jason nodded silently and got up, striding out of the waiting room and doing his best to keep his face and body language cold and impassive. Ari closed his eyes and breathed deeply as Jason left, and told himself that this was just another battle. He was sure that this guy would become an open book when they began to fight, and he could exploit that at will. It was time to clinch his place in the finals and win that cup to show that a Trainer just had to be sharp and tactical rather than flashy and obnoxious to win the day. Going over his tactics and Pokemon one last time, he followed Jason out onto the field as the crowd cheered.

"In our first semi-final, we have Jason Brown against Ari Harper! Both of them proved to be powerful Trainers in their own right, but only one of them can get a coveted place in the final," the announcer cried as Ari took his place opposite Jason. "In our matches today, the field will be changing after each battle; a Trainer has to be able to cope with any obstacles to achieve success, and this is a perfect way of seeing how they react to the unexpected," Jason cursed inwardly at this revelation, but kept his face emotionless as if he knew it had been coming all along; all the better to destabilise his foe. Ari's mind was suddenly swimming with new tactics as he remembered previous battles he had fought on difficult terrain, and as each new win came to mind he felt more and more confident. Perhaps this was what could help him achieve victory today; clever tactics would be necessary to overcome this unexpected obstacle, and that was where he excelled. As the judge stepped up, he finally felt himself slip back into his old self, looking over at Jason calculatingly and forgetting his nerves. It was time to decide who was going through to the final.

"Please get ready to release your Pokemon. The field should be changing any second," the judge said, and each Trainer watched as the battle-field split in half, each side sliding out of view as another field rose up to take its place.

"Our first match will take place on a grass battle-field," the announcer summed up, seeing the battle-field swaying with tall stalks, some of which were almost as tall as Ari.

"Please release your Pokemon in three... two... one..." the judge announced, and each Trainer analysed their Pokemon's chances on a grass field in the split-second before choosing and unleashing their warriors.

"Togetic, let's go!"

"Shai, attack!"

"Ari has sent out Togetic, whose small size could be an asset in this field full of hiding places. In stark contrast is Jason's Charizard, who looks huge in comparison. However, size is certainly no guarantee of power in Pokemon battles; a tiny Squirtle can easily overcome a gigantic Onix under the right Trainer,"

"Begin!" the judge called, lowering his flags.

"Togetic, he's obviously going to set the field alight, so fly above the grass and use Rain Dance!" Ari said, and Togetic floated upwards, her tiny wings fluttering as clouds gathered overhead. Charizard snarled as sheets of rain pelted down, spattering him with water and making the grass wet and slimy; certainly not good conditions to turn the field into an inferno.

"Shai, Shadow Claw," Jason ordered, and Charizard's wings flapped as he rose above the sodden ground, snarling and snapping his jaws as his claws suddenly began to lengthen and grow dark with power. With another great flap of his wings, he hurtled forwards towards Togetic, just about managing to pick out the small creature amongst the downpour.

"A straight-on attack? This could be easier than I expected. Togetic, Thunder!" Ari said with a tight smile, and Togetic glowed with electricity as a huge bolt blasted up into the heavens, slamming into the centre of the swirling storm. Seconds later, as Charizard reared up above him, a second bolt hurtled downwards twice as fast, hitting the Fire Pokemon and rendering him completely immobile as thousands of volts wracked his body. "Ha! Charizard's a Flying type too, so he should have felt that. Good job, Togetic," Ari smirked as Charizard landed awkwardly, giving up on his attack and panting as more rain lashed his blackened form. However, Ari's smile wavered as Jason didn't say a word, watching Charizard struggle as if he didn't even notice what trouble he was in.

"Come on, Shai," Jason muttered under his breath from the other side of the pitch. "I know you can do it. My commands can't help you now. Strike back, quickly," Shai got back to his feet and shook his head, clearing out the last of the ringing noises that had plagued it after the deadly Thunder. It was time for him to take command of the fight, and smash the tiny creature that swam in front of his hazy vision. Ari's smile disappeared completely as Charizard roared, blasting a jet of fire up into the air that rivalled the bolt of lightning Togetic had unleashed, before flapping his wings again to aid a gigantic bound into combat.

"Togetic, Sweet Kiss!" Ari said sharply, but Charizard wasn't moving in for a Shadow Claw as expected, and the heart floated over his head uselessly before his clawed hands fastened themselves around the stunned Happiness Pokemon as tightly as vices. Togetic squeaked with discomfort as someone other than Ari made contact with her, but this was short-lived, as Charizard flew into the air like he was launched from a cannon and began to loop the loop, over and over again, speeding up each time. "A Seismic Toss! Where did that come from?" Ari gasped. "Togetic, Wish!"

"Speed it up, Shai," Jason barked, and all of a sudden, as a shooting star sped overhead, Charizard and Togetic were plummeting towards the ground head-first as if they were going to plough straight into it without a second thought. Wet mud and grass stalks splattered up into the air as Charizard changed direction slightly, slamming his tiny foe into the earth as hard as he could whilst escaping with little more than bumps and bruises himself. He roared triumphantly as he landed, flapping his soaking wings and snorting burning embers from his nostrils.

"Togetic, are you alright?" Ari asked, but before the muddy Pokemon could reply, a second shooting star sped overhead, and healing energy washed through her, warming her from the inside and soothing her injuries. Suddenly she was ready to battle again, eager to pay Charizard back with interest. "Yes! We'll won't hold anything back, then! Let's show Charizard and the crowd a Thunder Wave!" Togetic mustered more electricity to herself before masterfully manipulating the flow of energy, directing dozens of bolts towards Charizards that hopped between individual raindrops and made them spark gold. Charizard paused in his roaring as he saw what looked like a sheet of golden rain heading for him, and he flapped his wings to generate a dark Ominous Wind that blew against it, infused with ghostly power that stopped it in its tracks.

"Careful, Shai. They aren't going to let up, so weather whatever they're planning then attack as much as possible. Any other situation means they have the advantage," Jason reminded the Fire Pokemon, and Charizard snorted in response, letting his Ominous Wind die down and enveloping himself in a bubble of protective energy. The Thunder Rain swept over him triumphantly, but fizzed and sparked as it hit the shield, unable to penetrate the Protect and leaving Shai unharmed. The audience cooed as the dazzling light display receded, and Togetic looking to Ari for commands.

"Togetic... what?" Ari suddenly said to himself; Charizard had disappeared. He scanned the air for signs of a diving attack, but he couldn't see a thing. "OK, I bet Magical Leaf will find him wherever he's hiding," Togetic concentrated and spread her arms, unleashing a wave of glowing leaves that hurtled down towards the ground, burrowing into the earth like maggots and disappearing from view as they unerringly tracked their target. "He's using Dig! Togetic, get away!" Ari cried, but in a huge wave of mud and grass, Charizard burst from the ground and slammed into Togetic, slashing at her with his talons before battering her back to her Trainer with a hefty swing from his tail.

"Good one, Shai. Keep it up," Jason said, and Charizard roared loudly and beat his tail against the ground in an aggressive display of victory.

"You haven't won just yet," Ari said as Togetic rose up shakily. "They're unprepared, Togetic! Just the time for a Last Resort!" Togetic scrunched up her face, and suddenly a massive wave of sparkling lights, spinning stars, and energised raindrops was rolling over Shai, hammering him with all the energy Togetic had left at her disposal. Charizard reeled backwards, overcome as his vision was marred with flashing lights, and he shook his heavy head to try and focus. His tail-flame flickered dangerously, and he seemed seconds away from fainting, but all of a sudden he was charging towards the weakened Togetic, slipping and sliding on the muddy grass but roaring loudly the whole time. Ari's mind was suddenly blank; he had expected Last Resort to be just that, an attack that would finish Charizard forever. But Shai was still going, lumbering towards Togetic and slamming the small creature between his two taloned hands, which were wreathed in deadly Dragon-fire. As Shai staggered backwards, breathing heavily and more vulnerable than ever, Togetic fell to the floor with a weak splat, doused with mud and rain as the storm began to clear.

"Togetic is unable to battle. Charizard wins!" the judge announced, raising his green flag as Charizard bellowed and launched a Flamethrower into the air.

"Togetic, return. Charizard's tactic of commanding himself took us by surprise, right? But don't concern yourself about it. You gave him a really good battle," Ari said sympathetically, picking up the Happiness Pokemon and allowing her to sit on the sidelines with a warm towel provided by the stadium officials.

"Shai, that was exceptional. They almost got us with that last attack, but you showed me again that you are an implacable battler," Jason complimented his Pokemon before returning him. He would have gone to the lengths of shaking his hand or even hugging him, but the creature's tail-flame was always in the edge of his vision, flickering dangerously and reminding him of times best forgotten. The grass battle-field sank out of sight, now a mess of soaking vegetation and splattered mud, and in its place came a swimming-pool-like field with several platforms floating on top of the water.

"Now the battlers are faced with a water field; the type of Pokemon choice is obvious, but will there be any secondary types that will swing the battle?" the announcer wondered as the fans looked on.

"Will the battlers please release their Pokemon in three... two... one..." the judge announced, and both Trainers hurled their Pokeballs up into the air to unleash their warriors.

"Milotic, it's your turn!"

"Shadow, come out!"

"Ari has gone with Milotic, that famously beautiful Water Pokemon, whilst Jason has picked Ditto, seemingly with black alternate colouration. It seems it will be Milotic versus Milotic here today on the water field, meaning that sheer guts and tactics will be the only option for victory," Jason smiled as the announcer fell silent. He'd fully expected his opponent to use a Water Pokemon on a water field, so he thought Shadow would be perfect to get a Water Pokemon of his very own to take as much advantage as possible of the battle-field.

"Begin!" the judge barked.

"Milotic, hit him before he can transform! Hydro Pump!" Ari said, and Milotic blasted a huge jet of water towards Ditto as he slipped into the water like a sinuous serpent.

"Shadow, dodge and use Transform!" Jason said, and Ditto flattened himself onto a floating platform, letting the Hydro Pump speed overhead before he expertly morphed his very DNA to adopt the image of his opponent, perfect in every detail. The only difference was that Ditto Milotic wore a devilish, gloating grin, whilst Ari's Milotic looked slightly troubled on facing his mirror image.

"Looks like this won't be an easy win, then. Keep focused, Milotic. I know we can beat them," Ari said, and Milotic hummed in response, watching as Ditto slipped into the water, mirroring his enemy's moves like a childish mimic.

"Shadow, concentrate. Nobody can beat a stronger version of themselves, but we need to stay alert nonetheless, unless they have a tactic up their sleeves," Jason said, and Ditto stopped his mimicking reluctantly, standing to attention.

"Milotic, use Aqua Ring. May as well set ourselves up for the long haul," Ari said quickly, and Milotic's scales rippled as he slowly drew energy from the water that surrounded him. "OK, now let's strike first with a Twister!" Milotic breathed out a swirling vortex of air, which quickly drew in water and became a roiling whirlpool that threatened to suck Ditto in and pound him mercilessly.

"Shadow, Ice Beam!" Jason commanded, and Ditto zapped the oncoming Twister with a crackling beam of icy energy, freezing it in place like a gigantic sculpture. However, despite the gasps of wonder from the crowd, this was just what Ari had expected and hoped for.

"Milotic, Aqua Tail and Dragonbreath!" he said triumphantly, and Milotic burst from the water, swinging his fanned, water-veiled tail in like a mace and shattering the ice-Twister with a single deadly blow. Before the shards could even scatter, Milotic was bathing them with steaming purple fire, funnelling all the power he could spare into the strange flames before plopping back into the water as gravity took its toll. Ditto was struck dumb as a steaming purple mist floated towards him, full of sharp ice shards and filled with Paralysing power, a stunning combination that drew even more wonder than Togetic's Thunder Rain.

"Shadow, Safeguard," Jason said firmly, and Ditto stopped where he was, cloaking himself in protective power as the Dragon Mist engulfed him completely. The creature gritted its teeth as ice shards pummelled and stabbed him, and he recoiled from the residue of Dragonbreath that filled the purple-tinted air, but thanks to Jason's quick thinking the Paralysing aspect Ari was counting on didn't work at all, and as the Dragon Mist died away Shadow was ready for action once more.

"This guy's good. Very good. But we're not weaklings ourselves," Ari said firmly, and Milotic squeaked with agreement. "Hit him with an Ice Beam!"

"Shadow, counter it with your Ice Beam!" Jason said; he was hoping to psyche Ari out to the point where he would be easy pickings, and it seemed that imitating him to the letter was the best way to go about that. The two Ice Beams slammed against each other, but neither of them gave an inch, as they were completely and utterly equal. Ari wracked his brain for a new tactic and cried,

"Milotic, Aqua Tail!" Milotic gave up his Ice Beam and sped towards Ditto like a torpedo, water swirling around his tail as it became a focal point of power.

"Shadow, fight back with your Aqua Tail!" Jason parried, and soon the two Milotics were clashing tails like expert duellists, sometimes underwater and sometimes leaping above the surface in an attempt at a surprise attack, but always with the same dead-end conclusion.

"They might be able to match us with power, but never with skill. Come on, Milotic, use some of the smarts I know you have!" Ari encouraged desperately, and Milotic renewed the attack, utilising every trick in the book as he swept his tail left and right, seeking a gap in his opponent's guard. Ditto may have replicated his DNA, but not his memories, and soon the facsimile was on the receiving end, slashed, beaten and stabbed as Milotic's masterful Aqua Tail outclassed his own meagre skills.

"Shadow, fight back! You're stronger than him! One good hit with Aqua Tail is all you need!" Jason ordered, but Ditto was unheeding, retreating as a barrage of Aqua Tails struck true.

"Milotic, Twister!" Ari commanded quickly, and the stunned Ditto was sucked up into a wild tornado, pounded by air and water as Milotic deftly controlled the force of nature. "Now go for the combo!"

"Shadow, Recover!" Jason cried, but Ditto couldn't hear him; he was encased inside the ice-Twister, helpless and unable to move as the true Milotic hurtled towards him. With a great crash, the Twister shattered, but Ditto barely had a chance to recuperate before the Dragon Mist was surrounding him, pounding him with ice, burning him with Dragon power and finally pushing him over the edge with muscle-melting Paralysis. Soon Ditto in his true amorphous form was floating glassy-eyed in the pool, completely unconscious after the pounding he received.

"Ditto is unable to battle! Milotic is the winner!" the judge called.

"Fantastic job, Milotic. You showed them that nothing can beat the original," Ari said, releasing a deep breath and hugging the happy Water Pokemon.

"Shadow, return. It seemed my tactics were sub-standard there. Our opponent is more quick-witted than I expected," Jason admitted, calling back the fainted Pokemon ruefully and looking over at his youthful foe.

"Milotic comes back for the win there, giving us a dazzling display of moves as well as a good helping of never-say-die attitude. The next battle-field is... an ice field! The Pokemon will have to have one eye on their footing here, or else risk falling over completely, leaving them vulnerable to attack from their opponent," the announcer said as a freezing flat field rose from the ground, replacing the water field for the final match-up.

"Release your Pokemon in three... two... one..." the judge said, and sharply lowered his flags.

"Drapion, I choose you!"

"Lavender, you're on!"

"Ari has chosen Drapion, a Pokemon whose spread-out legs and sharp claws will be ideal for gripping the battle-field. In opposition is Absol, known as the Disaster Pokemon. But will it be a disaster for Ari, or Jason?" the announcer said. Jason had chosen Lavender because he knew about her sometimes incredible luck, and he theorised that would be a huge help on a potentially difficult field like this. Ari had picked Drapion primarily because of his ability to stay on his feet, but he also hoped to hold his last Pokemon Rapidash in reserve, to surprise his next opponent. He didn't like relying on his brother Artix's Pokemon for an important battle, but he focused on the long-term, and hoped that Rapidash's unknown presence would aid him well later on and give him a split-second advantage.

"Begin!"

"Drapion, start off with Toxic!" Ari ordered; there was no point in setting up Toxic Spikes, as this was the last battle, but he could still try and outlast Absol by badly Poisoning him.

"Lavender, Magic Coat!" Jason counter-commanded as quickly as he could. Drapion spewed out a spray of disgusting fluid, but Absol was suddenly glowing with strange power, and the Toxic flew back through the air and drenched the scorpion Pokemon thoroughly, dripping off his scales and hissing as it hit the floor. Drapion shook the ineffective poison off himself contemptuously, clashing his pincers together and bellowing as he glared over at his slender foe.

"Magic Coat... that means Toxic won't work unless we can catch them unawares. Absol is a Dark type, however, so X-Scissor should be super-effective!" Ari noted, and Drapion picked up on the command, skittering across the icy field as fast as he could and crossing his glowing claws across his chest.

"Lavender, Shadow Ball!" Jason cried, and Absol created a ball of twisting darkness that crackled malevolently as it hissed through the air towards its target.

"Drapion, defend yourself!" Ari commanded, and Drapion sliced his arms outwards, battering the Shadow Ball away as hard as he could. Luckily, it was off-target, and exploded several metres to Lavender's left as the Dark Pokemon stayed delicately in position. Before Jason could utter another order, Drapion was rearing over Absol triumphantly, and she screeched with pain as an X-Scissor slammed into her.

"Lavender, strike back quickly with a Night Slash!" Jason cried, and Absol regained her footing, adjusting her pose before leaping at Drapion and slashing him across the face with her head-scythe as hard as possible. Drapion stumbled backwards, roaring with pain, and Jason took the intiative again. "Now, Razor Wind!" All of a sudden, a deadly gust of wind was pushing against Drapion, filled with sharp slices of glowing energy that struck him like bullets before vanishing completely.

"Drapion, Protect!" Ari said, and Drapion stood his ground as a glowing green shield repelled the rest of the attack, allowing him some breathing space.

"Lavender, keep up the attack! Shadow Ball!" Suddenly another crackling ball was skidding across the ice towards Drapion, and before the scorpion could react it exploded against one of his legs. He roared with pain and the leg collapsed beneath him, followed by the rest as their own balance went awry, until the Poison Pokemon was splayed on the field helplessly, his clawed legs flailing pitifully as they sought a foothold. "Hyper Beam!" Absol stood in place and took a second to collect power from inside herself, then blasted a horrifyingly strong beam of orange power straight at the prone foe.

"Drapion, Aerial Ace!" Ari said, almost unable to watch as Drapion skidded forwards, straight into the heart of the Hyper Beam. The sheer unrestrained power of the strike battered his chitinous body, burning him to the core as Absol put everything she had into it. For a moment Drapion faltered, and Ari gasped as he wondered whether the Hyper Beam had taxed him beyond the limit; however, after a second's pause to muster all of his resources, Drapion pressed on and heavily tackled Absol, lashing her with strikes from his spiky arms before grabbing her and slamming her onto the floor with a bellow. "Ha! Now, X-Scissor!" Ari cried, a faint flicker of hope leaping within him.

"Absol, Detect!" Jason ordered, but the energy output from the Hyper Beam, coupled with her beating at Drapion's hands, had Absol rooted to the spot, and Drapion was allowed ample time to relish the chance to batter his foe before unleashing a precision strike of earth-shattering power. "Lavender, no!" Jason shouted, but his cry was strangely unwarranted; Drapion's leg, still damaged by the Shadow Ball, buckled underneath him and his X-Scissor only grazed the helpless Dark Pokemon.

"Drapion, stay cool! Another X-Scissor, quick!" Ari said, his mouth dry as he realised this could be the pivotal move of the battle.

"Lavender, dodge and use Perish Song!" Jason gambled; he knew this battle was lost, so he'd at least take Drapion down with him and force a final tiebreaker. Lavender deftly slid under Drapion, using the ice to her advantage before chirping a single chilling note that made everyone in the stadium shiver simultaneously. Seconds later, both Pokemon were sprawled on the ground, their energy cruelly snatched away as the Perish Song took effect and knocked them both out completely and utterly.

"An amazing move! Jason has forced us to move onto a tiebreaker by bravely sacrificing his Absol!" the announcer cried excitedly. "And it seems it will be a rock battle-field!"

"Drapion, return. I... I can't believe he took both of you down. He knew we were going to win. He planned this tiebreaker," Ari said, rattled by his opponent. "You battled well, a credit to your idiotic master,"

"Lavender, come back. You did well. Now it comes down to this," Jason said to himself, steeling himself for a last battle. "One more fight for the victory,"

"Each Trainer will use one Pokemon," the judge piped up as the ice field was replaced with a rock-littered one. "Please release your Pokemon in three... two... one..." Ari knew this was the time to use Rapidash, long-term effects be damned. Right now, he could only focus on the moment. Jason realised he had to go with someone he trusted completely, someone who had already battled hard in the tournament and won him a victory. He had known, deep inside, that it would be this Pokemon all along that would decide things.

"Rapidash, I choose you!"

"Shai, attack!"

"Wow! In a completely unexpected move, Jason has picked Charizard for the second time today! He seems to have recovered from his battle with Togetic, but his previous exertions could prove his undoing. Ari, meanwhile, has chosen Rapidash, a fresh new fighter who is seeing his first tournament match right here and now," the announcer said.

"Begin!" the judge said, and lowered his flags as the Trainers prepared for the final fight.

"Rapidash, show them your speed with a Flame Wheel!" Ari ordered; he was feeling marginally confident in this battle, as Charizard was already weak, and Rapidash was only strengthened from Fire type attacks with his Flash Fire ability. However, he wasn't going to let up a single bit, and he'd battle as if he faced a completely new opponent at the height of its strength. Rapidash whinnied and dashed forwards, her mane expanding and engulfing her until she appeared as a dashing inferno, dodging between the rocky pillars and picking up speed with every step.

"Shai, just battle like you did earlier. I trust your strength," Jason said; Rapidash's fire made him nervous, so it was just as well that he wouldn't be required to give many orders in the fight. Charizard opened his mouth and emitted a thick bank of black smoke, shielding him from view, and Rapidash stopped in her tracks, unwilling to enter the shroud her opponent was hiding within.

"Rapidash, stay calm. Use Heat Wave," Ari commanded, and Rapidash breathed out a wave of scorching air, hotter than the hottest summer's day, that hit the Smokescreen with a crack, dispersing it until the field was completely clear. The only thing missing from the scene was Charizard himself; in his place was a large, roughly-dug hole. "He's using Dig again! Rapidash, jump onto that rock slab over there!" Ari cottoned on quickly, and Rapidash landed on a flat piece of hard rock with a clatter of hooves. Shai erupted from the ground nearby, his ploy defeated, and circled Rapidash from the air instead, not taking an eye off his horse-like foe. "OK, Rapidash, use Charm!" Ari said, and Rapidash suddenly lost all of her aggressive stance, gazing up at Shai sweetly and causing the Fire Pokemon to stop, confused at his foe's sudden change of tack.

"Shai, it's a trick! Ominous Wind!" Jason bellowed, but Charizard looked at him as if wondering who the man shouting orders at him was.

"Yes! Rapidash, Iron Tail!" Ari said triumphantly, and with a great whinny Rapidash swung her body around, hardening the flames of her tail into a steely lump that slugged Charizard across the cheek with eye-watering power. Shai bellowed with pain and withdrew from immediate range, embarrassed at his lowered guard and snarling angrily, eager to get even. "Keep it up with Captivate!" Ari ordered; if he could continue to entrance his massive foe, then hit him hard, he'd be onto a winner without breaking a sweat. However, alarm bells rang in Shai's head as Rapidash suddenly looked cute and inoffensive again, and he bellowed with rage, barrelling towards his foe and taking her heavily in the side with a Dragon Claw, which sent her smashing into a huge rock. Roaring with fury, Charizard continued the attack, bringing his tail down in an arc and sending another rock hurtling towards Rapidash to finish the job. "Rapidash, dodge it!" Ari cried, and Rapidash came back to herself slightly, just avoiding the missile and standing firm as it shattered against another rock.

"Shai, you can do better than that," Jason said impatiently. "Stop being so sloppy," The fire in Charizard's eyes dimmed slightly and he focused, cooling his rage with common sense and getting ready to destroy Rapidash with a more conventional attack. "Good. Now, Ominous Wind!"

"Rapidash, Fire Blast!" Ari parried quickly, and a huge fiery star pushed past the ghostly wind blown from Charizard's wings, exploding against the Flying Pokemon and sending him hurtling into a rock. The boulder shattered beneath his bulk, but he certainly hadn't escaped unharmed, and got to his feet gingerly, favouring his back. This Rapidash was good, but he was better. Now was when he had to prove that. "Rapidash, look! He's weakening!" Ari said confidently, seeing that Charizard had been hurt in his close encounter with the rock. "We're heading for the second round, my friend. Keep him at bay with another Fire Blast!" Shai spread his arms as his claws started to grow longer, wreathed in shadowy power, and he flew straight into the Fire Blast as quickly as he could, using its explosion to speed up his own lunge and ignoring the burning pain as much as possible. Rapidash recoiled with surprise as Shai emerged from the explosion, and was powerless to resist as the dragon-like beast raked her with his claws, driving her further and further back until she stumbled on a rock.

"Ha! Just my line of thinking, Shai. Finish it!" Jason said eagerly, and Shai infused one of his hands with Dragon power, ready to strike the helpless Rapidash across the face with one last Dragon Claw. Ari, however, knew that this was his prime chance to hurt Charizard, and badly.

"Rapidash, now! Overheat!" he commanded, and Rapidash looked up, blasting out an intense cone of white-hot fire that slammed against Charizard's chest, driving the wind out of him and forcing him ever further back under the pressure of indescribably boiling flames. He felt himself collide with a rock, but even the rock was helpless beneath Overheat's power, and it shattered. Again and again Shai was bludgeoned against rocks as Rapidash's Overheat slammed him straight through them, before finally petering out, the horse herself panting heavily. Shai was sprawled on the ground, but before the judge could even consider counting him out, he was dragging himself back up, clutching a nearby rock pillar to support himself. He could never remember being in so much pain in his life; his body ached from being battered against rocks, and his flesh was seared by the Overheat's sheer power and pressure. Coupled with his pounding at Togetic's hands, he felt ready to drop. He could feel his strength ebbing slowly away, and clutching the rock tighter to keep himself steady.

"Shai..." Jason called, but he could think of nothing else to say. Willpower and bloody-mindedness alone were keeping Shai on his feet, and he was afraid that he would break the spell if he gave the Fire Pokemon an order.

"Rapidash... fantastic. Look at him," Ari said breathlessly, and the horse raised her head, focusing blearily on her foe. "That was an incredible Overheat. You should be proud. But let's finish this once and for all with a Fire Blast," Shai straightened up slightly, dragged out of his haze of pain by the last two words. Fire Blast... he was under attack. Part of him didn't care, he was so tired. But his master was relying on him, so as the gigantic star raced towards him, he flapped his wings and flew between the spokes before landing heavily, snarling triumphantly to himself as the attack exploded behind him.

However, the Fire Blast had stopped just short of Jason, and filled the man's eyes with terrible visions of fire and flames that made it seem like he was young again, and Charmander's Ember was exploding out of control... Shai was suddenly alert as he heard the horribly familiar sound of his master screaming with fear, and looked up to see Jason crawling backwards across the ground, his eyes unseeing behind his white-tinted glasses as hot embers floated down around him. With a great howl of rage and pain combined, Charizard struggled to his feet and lunged at Rapidash madly, his eyes bulging with anger as he grabbed the horse and hurtled into the air with a flap of his weakened wings, before plummeting down like a nose-diving plane and slamming them both against the biggest rock on the field with an ominous crunch. Both Fire Pokemon reeled out of the dust-cloud weakly, their heads swimming; Shai had been too weak and angry to attack with any finesse, so he had impacted with the boulder nearly as hard as Rapidash. However, his determination to see his master alright kept him conscious as the fiery horse collapsed close by.

"Rapidash is unable to battle! Charizard is the winner! This match goes to Jason Brown!" the judge announced, and, breathing heavily, Shai returned to his master's side, grabbing him in his clawed hands and flying off without a second thought to somewhere away from the crowds, where both of them could recover.

"Rapidash!" Ari yelled, and returned the fire-horse as no response was forthcoming, emotion sweeping through him. "Rapidash, you were really good. Charizard was too resilient for us. I... I can't believe we lost," he said, more to himself than the recalled Rapidash. "After coming so far and trying so hard, it just ended with that one Seismic Toss," Togetic flew over from the sidelines and landed on his head, chirping encouragingly and cheering him up slightly. "Thanks for battling so hard, all of you," he said, stroking Togetic gently and watching Shai and his master recede into the distance. "That is one special Charizard," he admitted, and slowly walked to his designated front-row seat in the stands, greeted with a hero's welcome by the fans he had achieved with his amazing combinations.

"Hey, Ari! You were really great! My name's Yuuki, by the way. This is Delia, and Fangs," Yuuki said, walking up to Ari and shaking his hand. Ari looked over them critically, a slight smile on his face as he took in the other girl and her Manectric.

"And which one exactly is Fangs?" he quipped, but before Delia could angrily retort the announcer was speaking again, and they settled down next to each other.

"In a thrilling final battle, Ari Harper and his Rapidash are defeated by Charizard and Jason. However, unless they return relatively soon, we'll may have to disqualify them and allow Ari through," he said agitatedly.

"Wow. Wouldn't that be great?" Yuuki said eagerly.

"No," Ari said after a bit of thought. "He won fair and square. I'm sure he'll be back, anyway, and I'll support him in the finals. After beating me, I won't let him lose to anyone else," And with that, Ari settled back in his seat with Togetic, one hand idly scratching the nearby Fangs' head as four semi-finalists became two.

**Congratulations Jason 'Jay' Brown (CyberWolf101) and commiserations Ari Harper (Serpent's Ballet)! I know this is later than expected, so I hope I compensated for it in quality when describing the battle. Once again, I hope you enjoyed it and that your OCs acted as to how you would expect them to act.**

**Next time: Ariana Ada (Kris 77) vs Corey Spina (Spartan20)!**


	8. SemiFinal 2 Ariana vs Corey

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon (unfortunately).

**Pokemon Tournament - Semi-Final 2**

**Ariana Ada (Kris 77) vs Corey Spina (Spartan20)**

"That's a strong-looking Treecko you've got there," Corey Spina said as he watched the green reptile sit contentedly on Ariana's shoulder. "Using her for today's battle?"

"That would be telling," Ariana teased. "Next you'll be asking for my tactics,"

"It would be helpful, if you didn't mind..." Corey replied jokingly. He was looking forward to today's match, and both he and the Pokemon he was using were psyched for battle. At first glance Ariana appeared young and charming, but he knew that she wouldn't have gotten through the first round if she was a sweet, innocent little girl. Sometimes looks could be deceiving, and he was prepared to bet that this was one of those times. The sight of Treecko – a generally weak, unevolved Grass type – on her shoulder had heightened his misgivings, and he wondered from time to time whether he should be relieved or worried by its presence. Then again, if it was as well-trained as it appeared, he could expect a good battle; and that was what he had entered the tournament for in the first place, he thought with a smile.

Ariana was also having her fair share of doubts about her foe. On the surface, he seemed amiable, happy and easygoing, but was this a front to get her off her guard? If so, she wouldn't be taken by surprise. Artemis and Castform were on the sidelines, ready to coach if need be, and her three picked Pokemon (which did, in fact, include Freya the Treecko) were all ready to give their all, as usual. More crucially, Corey had not yet made a remark about her size or age, so she was feeling almost positive towards him at the minute. Thus, for both competitors the nerves were strangely low, as if they were just battling as friends rather than rivals for first place, and both of them jumped to attention eagerly as the speaker announced,

"Will Ariana Ada and Corey Spina please enter the battle-field. The match is about to begin,"

"Good luck, Ariana," Corey said, nodding to her genially.

"Thanks! Good luck to you too," Ariana replied, and the two of them walked onto the field together, able to appreciate the cheers of the fans and the comments of the announcer without too many butterflies in their stomachs.

"Battling with us now are Ariana Ada and Corey Spina. Ariana has shown us that unevolved Pokemon are certainly not to be counted out in her battle with Yuuki, whilst Corey demonstrated impressive spirit and strength of will alongside Magmortar, defeating Olivia's Pupitar in the final match. I think we can expect an entertaining battle today. Ah... the first field appears to be the water field, which last time was the host of a battle between two ferocious Milotics!" the announcer intoned happily as the water-field rose up between the two battlers. Both Ariana and Corey were stunned to see the change of field, but they were forced into quick thinking as they heard the judge stepping up to the sidelines.

"Will the battlers please release their Pokemon in three... two... one..."

"Athena, it's you!"

"Staraptor, I choose you!"

"Ariana has chosen Azumarill, an excellent choice for this field as it can utilise both agility through the water and its innate toughness. Corey takes a different tack and releases Staraptor, whose Flying attributes are exceptionally useful in situations like this, when footing is sparse,"

"Begin!" the judge cried when the echoes of the announcer's voice had died down.

"Athena, in the water!" Ariana ordered immediately, and Azumarill hopped off her platform, landing in the water with a splash. Now they would hopefully be able to hit Staraptor with long range attacks, before ducking beneath the safety of the waterline, as Staraptor was more of a physical attacker.

"Staraptor, up in the air!" Corey commanded in contrast, and soon Staraptor was hovering above the pool, its great wings flapping impressively as it watched Azumarill dart around beneath as if it were just more prey. "Now, use Double Team until we can get a good enough shot at them," All of a sudden, a dozen Staraptors were flapping above the field, surrounding Azumarill and all glaring down at her with the same intense expression.

"Hmm... we'd better not give them an opening, right Athena?" Ariana said, and Azumarill nodded with determination. "Let's get started with an Ice Beam! Sweep it in a circle and hit them all!" Azumarill's head bobbed up above the surface, and suddenly a crackling beam of frigid energy was blasting from her mouth, making image after image vanish into nothingness with the merest touch.

"Staraptor, Extremespeed!" Corey cried, and before the last couple of images could disappear, the real Staraptor made its move; it furled in its wings, then dived down and hammered Azumarill with a pass of such speed that the he was on the other side of the field before the Water Pokemon had even felt the blow. "She's reeling! Close Combat!"

"Athena, counter it with Iron Tail!" Ariana ordered quickly, and Azumarill was suddenly haphazardly fending off Staraptor's renewed offensive as the creature pecked, kicked and beat her with his wings, driving her backwards as she attempted to use her glowing tail as a makeshift shield and weapon. However, Staraptor was so fierce and quick that she found herself unable to cope, and soon the Iron Tail flickered and died as the assault reached a vicious peak.

"Yes! Now, lift her up and use Fly!" Corey commanded, and Staraptor grabbed the groggy Azumarill's long ears in his strong claws, dragging her above the surface and into his element.

"Athena, focus! Use Water Pulse!" Ariana counter-commanded, and Azumarill quickly formed a sphere of water in her hands, crackling with confusing energy as she refused to admit defeat.

"Staraptor, quickly! Fly!" Corey urged, and before Athena could hurl her projectile she was being dropped back towards the ground, harried with every metre she plummeted by the incredibly fast and powerful passes of her Flying opponent.

"Athena, no!" Ariana cried, but Staraptor was cawing victoriously as the battered Azumarill landed with a loud splash, then crawled back onto a floating platform, breathing heavily as she sought to regain her composure. "Take as long as you need. We'll beat this bird, I promise you that," she encouraged through gritted teeth, watching Staraptor circle the field with narrowed eyes. Nobody hurt her Athena like that and got away with it.

"Staraptor, that was good, but we'll have to attack even harder next time," Corey said, seeing that Azumarill wasn't knocked unconscious as planned. She either had high resolve, or she was tougher than she looked. Perhaps both. At any rate, he needed to end the match soon. "Knock her off the platform with Aerial Ace!"

"Come on Athena," Artemis said from the sidelines. "You can do it," Castform squeaked his own encouragement, but still the Water Pokemon was unheeding.

"Athena, get up!" Ariana urged as Staraptor did a loop the loop, and Athena struggled upwards, ready to fight back. "Quickly! Use Dive!" Azumarill hopped off the platform and dived underwater, going as deeply as possible to build up the most momentum she could for the actual strike. However, hitting Staraptor wasn't what Ariana had planned, at least not yet. Aerial Ace was a double-edged sword, in that it would never miss – even if your opponent was at the bottom of the pool. Staraptor flinched as he saw where he was headed, but a powerful force drew him onwards, pulling him towards Azumarill like a magnet; with a loud splash, he plunged into the water. Corey gasped as the bird sank deeper into the water; even as he slammed into Azumarill, the Water Pokemon was fighting back, swimming in from all sides and attacking with limbs and tail in a barrage not completely unlike Staraptor's own one earlier.

"Staraptor, get out of there quickly!" Corey yelled, but Staraptor's feathers were saturated, making them unbelievably heavy and difficult to move. "Use Extremespeed to get out!" Staraptor burst from the water like a torpedo as he angled for the surface, and with equal measures of luck and skill he managed to glide down to a platform, landing and immediately picking at his ruined comb with irritation.

"Athena, he's helpless! Time for an Iron Tail finisher!" Ariana said, eager to have the battle under wraps whilst Staraptor was an easy target, and Azumarill swam towards her foe, swinging her tail around like a ball-on-chain as it shone with steadily-increasing steely power. Corey's mind was in a whirl as the distressed Staraptor tried to reorganise his feathers, but Ariana herself had just given him a plan.

"Staraptor, stand firm! Weather the Iron Tail no matter what!" he cried, and Staraptor nodded grimly, preparing to receive the blow and hoping his master had a trick up his sleeve. Before Ariana could puzzle out what was going on, it was too late, and Azumarill was on Staraptor's platform. Her Iron Tail slammed right on top of Staraptor's skull, sending shivers down his entire body, but suddenly his eyes flicked open with just as much grim determination as before. It was then, when it was all but useless, that she remembered Staraptor was a physical attacker. "Close Combat!" Jason yelled, and Staraptor powered into battle, hammering Azumarill with blows that suggested overdue vengeance was on the cards. Kicks from his strong feet followed slashes from his claws, and were in turn rounded out by a beating from his powerful wings. Just as Azumarill stumbled backwards under the unexpected ferocity of the attack, Staraptor saw that she was going to fall back into the water, so ended it with a powerful head-butt right between the eyes. The world swam before Azumarill's eyes as the blow connected, and the last thing she saw before losing consciousness was her foe, fussily picking at his messy comb again, his interest in the battle lost.

"Azumarill is unable to battle. Staraptor is the winner!"

"Staraptor strikes back, luring Azumarill into close quarters where he impacted like a ton of bricks! The battle could have gone either way, but it seems that Corey just managed to turn the disadvantage of Staraptor's sodden feathers into an advantage," the announcer said excitedly.

"Athena, return. I saw his plan too late, but don't worry. I'll win this battle for you," Ariana promised as she recalled the fainted Azumarill.

"Great job, Staraptor. I knew you could survive that Iron Tail," Corey complimented his Pokemon.

"Staraptor," Staraptor replied in a disgruntled fashion, as if to say 'That's all well and good, but what about my feathers?', before being recalled for a well-deserved rest. Meanwhile, the field had changed completely; rather than a pool, it was now a rock-littered pitch with plenty of opportunities for inventive attack and defence.

"Hmm... what now? This is really suited towards a Rock or Ground type, not a Grass type like Freya. I guess I'll have to go with my trump card," Ariana said to herself, fingering the Pokeball on a chain around her neck.

"A rock field, eh? I know just who to use to end this battle right here and now," Corey said confidently as he picked his next Pokemon without hesitation.

"Please release your Pokemon in three... two... one..." the judge said, and lowered his flags.

"Mira, go!"

"I choose Heracross!"

"Ariana has picked Eevee – who, like Alessandra's Glaceon, appears to have alternate coloration. Corey has picked Heracross, a Bug Pokemon known for its great strength," the announcer said thoughtfully, examining the apparently uneven match-up.

"Begin!"

"Heracross, Stone Edge!" Corey ordered, and Heracross' horn shone as though it were polished as it slammed into a nearby boulder, shattering it and sending a flurry of shards towards the Eevee he faced.

"Mira, dodge it with Quick Attack!" Ariana parried, and Mira easily slipped away from the lumpy shards of rock, dancing away from each strike with a silvery trail glowing in the air behind her. "Yes! Now use Shadow Ball!"

"Heracross, Rock Slide!" Corey commanded quickly, and Heracross buzzed to the top of one of the larger pieces of rock, smashing it with his blue fists and hurling boulder after boulder with his prized horn until they were raining down on Eevee like a wave. Eevee blasted a Shadow Ball at her foe whilst leaping up into the air to avoid one rock, but it immediately disintegrated as it met another hurtling boulder, whilst proceeded to crash into Mira and send her flying. In a few horrifying seconds Heracross' job was complete, and Mira was completely invisible beneath a pile of shattered debris.

"Mira, Dig!" Ariana said, her voice shaking slightly; she couldn't bear to see her precious Miracle hurt. It was clear that Corey wasn't holding anything back, and she needed to do the same and fast if she wanted any hope of victory. There was no sign of movement from within the rubble, but Ariana wasn't bothered; Eevee was hopefully under the ground, a simultaneous evasion and attack that allowed her to escape the rock pile and strike back with a vengeance.

"She's underground, Heracross! Endure!" Corey said, licking his dry lips as he waited for Eevee to appear. He needed to get off the defensive as soon as possible, or Eevee's agility would get the better of him.

"Endure? That means he's getting ready to survive whatever we throw at him! Mira, don't attack! Come up in front of him and use Fake Tears!" Ariana cried as Heracross steeled himself to absorb the impact. Eevee emerged from the ground in front of the Bug Pokemon and sat before him, her ears drooping as she prepared to catch her opponent off-guard. Heracross' eyes opened a fraction as he wondered where the inevitable impact was, and he recoiled slightly in shock as he saw Eevee less than a metre away. He was about to look to Corey for guidance, but then he saw that tears were rolling down Eevee's cheeks, over and over again as the furry creature's lip trembled. Like all of Corey's Pokemon, Heracross had been trained to be compassionate and kind, and for a split-second he lowered his guard and started to approach Mira to see what was the matter.

"Heracross, snap out of it! Megahorn!" Corey shouted, but before Heracross could process what he said, Ariana made her move.

"Mira, Swift!" Heracross hissed as a volley of painful stars slammed into him, sending him flying backwards until he stabilised himself with his wings, and following and tormenting him wherever he went.

"Heracross, you can take it! Fly in for a Megahorn!" Corey ordered, and Heracross gripped the ground with his clawed feet, rooting himself in place and crossing his arms over his face to block the stream of glowing stars. As he pushed ever closer to his foe, his horn began to glow with ominous power, shimmering with a slight miasma of green as he amassed all the Bug power at his command into a single strike.

"Mira, Shadow Ball! Swift isn't making enough of a dent!" Ariana cried, seeing her foe striding closer and closer, and Eevee blasted a twisting orb of dark energy towards her foe, hoping to pierce his indomitable defence.

"Heracross, use your Megahorn to bat it right back!" Corey said confidently, and Heracross swung his incredible horn around, slamming the Shadow Ball as hard as he could right back to sender. However, this had been just what Ariana had expected.

"Mira, time for a Quick Attack!" she parried, and Miracle dashed forwards towards Heracross, ignoring the Shadow Ball's impact completely before ramming her head right into Heracross' armoured stomach. The Bug Pokemon rolled head-over-heels backwards and Corey cursed his bad judgement; he had forgotten that Ghost type moves wouldn't affect Normal types like Eevee. It looked like he'd have to stop getting caught up in theatrics and start pounding on Eevee as hard as possible.

"Heracross, can you continue?" he asked, and Heracross nodded weakly, hopping back up to his feet. "Time for a super-effective Close Combat!"

"Not this time," Ariana smiled. "Mira, Dig!" Heracross slammed into a rock as Eevee scurried beneath the ground, and before he could even recover from the impact the Normal Pokemon erupted from underneath him, nipping with her tiny sharp teeth, slashing with her claws and battering with her tail.

"She's up close! Megahorn!" Corey yelled as Heracross was forced further and further back, and his horn swirled with power again as he swung his head around and smashed Mira away as hard as he could.

"Mira, keep going! Quick Attack off that rock!" Ariana cried, and Mira twitched in mid-flight, bracing herself against the boulder she looked set to smash against before lancing into a super-quick charge that sent Heracross crashing into a rock of his own. The Bug was about to get up for more punishment, but just as he stood firm, his eyes began to roll and he fell back to the floor limply.

"Heracross is unable to battle. Eevee is the winner," the judge announced as Heracross lay sprawled on the floor.

"Heracross, return. We were beaten because of my own short-sightedness, so don't feel bad," Corey said, disappointed that he wasn't going to clinch an early win.

"Mira, you were brilliant!" Ariana said, stroking Eevee lovingly as the creature purred like a kitten. "I knew you'd come through for me, no matter what,"

"Heracross is down! Eevee overcomes a type disadvantage, turning every new setback into a plan of her own. A frankly amazing example of David and Goliath if I ever saw one. And the field has changed again, becoming a grassland; fortunately, it has been repaired from its battering at the hands of Charizard and Togetic," the announcer said as the third field appeared, and Ariana thanked her lucky stars. It was just perfect for Freya.

"Please release your Pokemon in three... two... one..." the judge said, and lowered his flags.

"Freya, I choose you!"

"Steelix, go!"

"Ariana has gone with Treecko, a comparatively tiny Grass Pokemon who should have the advantage on this field. Corey has picked Steelix to do battle, perhaps hoping that Steelix's Steel characteristics will enable him to avoid the worst of Treecko's Grass attacks – but will it pan out, or will we have another case of 'the bigger they are, the harder they fall'?"

"Begin!" the judge cried.

"OK, Freya, we'll need to take it slowly. Just go into the long grass, stay as low as possible and get a feel for the field. Wait for Steelix to strike, then we'll take it from there," Ariana said, picking up Freya's dropped flower and putting it behind her ear for safekeeping as the Grass Pokemon slipped into the foliage.

"Keep cool, Steelix. We'll force her into view and keep up the attack," Corey assured his Pokemon, who roared in agreement. "Give her a Screech attack!" Suddenly the field was bathed in a terrible screaming noise that made the grass ripple with the force, aimed solely at making Freya reveal herself.

"Psychological warfare! OK, Freya, counter it with a Bullet Seed!" Ariana ordered, and Freya bounced upwards, propelled by her powerful tail until she was at eye level with her Steel foe. Steelix recoiled and bellowed with pain as a hail of glowing seeds slammed into him, stinging his eyes and mouth as Freya targeted the weakest points of his gigantic, impervious head.

"There she is, Steelix! Iron Tail!" Corey commanded, and the Bullet Seed was interrupted as a haphazard Iron Tail missed Freya by inches; only her agility allowed her to avoid the strike at all, and she landed cleanly in a long patch of grass, disappearing again like a ghost. "Let's use Iron Tail to sweep the field!" Steelix swung his tail around, and the fiercely-glowing appendage hacked the grass down, leaving gigantic bare patches wherever it went.

"Freya, stop him! Magical Leaf, then Bullet Seed!" Ariana cried, seeing hiding places being reduced by the second, and Steelix was forced onto the defensive as first a wave of glowing leaves, then the painful seeds, hammered him over and over again until his Trainer stepped in.

"Steelix, defend yourself! Iron Head!" Steelix's head suddenly gleamed with a powerful sheen, acting as a dual shield against Freya's attacks as well as a damaging aura that threatened major pain if it hit. "They came from the left! Keep up that Iron Head!" Corey ordered as the Grass barrage died down, and Steelix slammed his head down onto the ground, sweeping it from side to side to both cut the grass and try to catch Freya for some damage.

"Freya, counter it with Iron Tail!" Ariana said, and suddenly Freya appeared in a bare patch of the field, glaring up at the Steelix that only just noticed her. The two Pokemon were silent for a moment, each glowing with a steely sheen, before Steelix dived down and Freya leapt up, the former bellowing and the second deadly silent as she swung her tail around for the maximum possible impact. There was a loud crash as the two Steel attacks met head-on, and with a crackle of power both combatants were pushed back, Freya landing perfectly and Steelix shaking his head slightly before regrouping.

"What? How could her Iron Tail be as powerful as your Iron Head?" Corey wondered, troubled by the equality of the exchange.

"Iron Tail's our signature move. Freya's one of the best on the team at using it," Ariana replied with a smile. "Sure you don't want to forfeit?"

"No doubt about it," Corey grinned, before getting back to the battle. "Steelix, she's right there! Ice Fang!" Steelix's jaws glittered as frost coated them; Corey was hoping to hit the now-visible Freya with a super-effective attack, and possibly even freeze her solid to set up for a real Iron Tail to be proud of.

"Freya, use some of that speed! Show me a Quick Attack!" Ariana said as Steelix plunged downwards, his maw opening wide. Freya dashed back and forth as Steelix slammed into the ground over and over again, leaving patches of ice in his wake before rearing back to strike again. Ariana had hoped to weaken Steelix by making his head slam onto the ground repeatedly, but it seemed the Steel Pokemon was far too resilient to sustain any sort of damage from the impact. What was worse, the patches of ice were quickly becoming just as widespread as the grass, which certainly wasn't good for Freya. "Time for an Energy Ball!"

"Steelix, they're resorting to direct attacks! Keep it up for just a bit longer, and show me a Double Edge!" Corey said triumphantly, and Steelix threw his whole body behind the attack, confident that his own toughness would prevent any damage to his own body. Freya, on the other hand, had soon created a crackling green orb of twisting natural energy, and bouncing up with her muscled tail, she avoided Steelix's lunge and slammed the Energy Ball right on top of his head. The iron snake landed with a loud clang, his attack forgotten as Grass energy wracked his mind, and he reared up groggily, waving his tail in a feeble attempt to protect himself until he could fully recover.

"Aha! Finally we see progress!" Ariana beamed, and Freya flashed her a thumbs-up. "Keep him reeling with a Bullet Seed!"

"Steelix, Iron Head!" Corey counter-commanded, and once again Steelix slammed into the ground as his attack missed; however, the Iron Head had done its most important job and shielded him from the worst of the Bullet Seed until he could focus again. "Use Stone Edge!" Before even raising his head from the lunge, Steelix lashed the ground with his tail, and Freya was finally caught off-guard as shards of rock slammed into her. The Grass Pokemon rolled backwards under the force of the blows, but got up quickly, ready to face her recouped opponent.

"Freya, use Iron Tail!" Ariana cried; there was too little grass to hide in, and the Grass Pokemon had just been caught off-guard, showing that she was weakening from exertion. A series of hit-and-runs would have to carry the day if she wanted to win.

"Steelix, counter with your Iron Tail!" Corey parried, and the two glowing tails clashed; with another crackle of power, both were thrown backwards, although they seemed relatively unharmed. It was a deadlock in terms of power. "Steelix, make one last effort! Ice Fang!" Corey ordered; Freya was visibly tiring, whilst Steelix had endurance to spare. It might take a while, but eventually Steelix would hit, and that would be the end of Treecko.

"Freya, time for something a little different. Jump on his back!" Ariana commanded as Treecko flipped away from another lunge, and as she landed, she used her powerful tail again to launch herself up towards Steelix's shining back.

"Steelix, dodge!" Corey cried, and Steelix flattened himself to the ground; this was it, the perfect moment to attack, just when Treecko landed and was helpless. But Treecko never did land. She'd grabbed one of the spikes running the length of Steelix's body rather than sailing over him, and was clutching it like a tree-branch, looking down to Ariana for further orders.

"Yes! Now, use Energy Ball!" Ariana shouted excitedly.

"Steelix, buck her off!" Corey yelled, and Treecko's job was made a hundred times more difficult as her steed rippled and shook beneath her, threatening to dislodge her at any moment. Her only hope was to use her natural agility and reptilian characteristics to get to Steelix's head... but could she do it before Steelix threw her off and hit her hard with an Ice Fang? This question was answered in a brutal but strangely beautiful fashion; Freya leapt from chunk to chunk of Steelix's segmented body, using the sticky pads on her hands that were so useful when climbing trees to keep her position. Using her tail to boost her the rest of the way, she landed right on top of Steelix's head, and before the Steel Pokemon could react a huge, crackling ball of power was slammed onto his skull. Grass power once again wracked him, but this time he didn't recover. With a great creak and a fading bellow, the behemoth crumbled and fell, giving in at last to the power of the Treecko he opposed. Freya herself stumbled off her defeated enemy, rubbing her head dizzily before smiling at her Trainer.

"Steelix is unable to battle! Treecko is the winner! This match goes to Ariana Ada!" the judge announced.

"Yes! We knew you could do it, Ana!" Artemis cried, running over from the sidelines with Castform close behind to congratulate his sister. "Freya, you battled really well,"

"Treecko," Freya responded tiredly, before leaping onto Ariana's shoulder.

"Artemis is right, you were fantastic. I hope you aren't too tired, though, because we're heading to the final!" Ariana said, striking a triumphant pose with Freya as the fantastic elation of triumph rolled through her.

"Steelix, you couldn't have battled any better. I'm very proud of you," Corey said, then walked over to the victor. "Good job, Ariana. I haven't enjoyed a battle so much for a long time,"

"Me neither. You were a great opponent," Ariana admitted. "Be sure to cheer me on in the final!"

"Me and all my Pokemon to boot, and that's a promise," Corey said with a smile, and ambled off into the stands, where the fans awaited.

"Nice battle. Your Steelix is really a force to be reckoned with," a boy with spiked brown hair said. "My name's Kurogasa. I was beaten in the first round. Losing sucks, but one defeat doesn't matter in the long term, right? The victories are what we'll be remembered for,"

"I guess you're right, Kurogasa," Corey smiled, shaking Kurogasa's hand. "Hey, are those the rest of the competitors over there?"

"Yep, that's Yuuki and her sister, Delia. And Fangs the Manectric, lest I forget. Ari Harper's sitting with them. That lovey-dovey couple's Markus and Alessandra, although Alessandra was the only one who actually entered," Kurogasa explained. "Oh yeah, and there's Olivia, too. She's Professor Rowan's granddaughter,"

"Quite a bunch of characters," Corey said as the two walked over to join the rest. "But I guess it takes all kinds,"

**Congratulations Ariana Ada (Kris 77) and commiserations Corey Spina (Spartan20)! I hope you all enjoyed the battle, and – of course – that you're happy with how I handled your OCs.**

**Next time: ****The Final! ****Jason 'Jay' Brown (CyberWolf101) vs Ariana Ada (Kris 77)! Don't miss it!**

**PS – Twilight Smash – I never received your OC (if you ever sent them) so sorry about not including them, even though you were one of the first reviewers. I've been meaning to say that for a while but I always forgot.**


	9. The Final Battle Jason vs Ariana

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon (unfortunately).

**Pokemon Tournament – The Final**

**Jason 'Jay' Brown (CyberWolf101) vs Ariana Ada (Kris 77)**

'This is it,' Ariana thought nervously, her hands twisting in her lap. 'Almost time to fight for first place,' Luckily, Freya, who was on her shoulder, sensed her unease and made comforting noises from her perch to calm her master down.

"Treecko," Freya said softly, and it was clear that she was placing both her support and the support of the rest of the team firmly behind Ariana. They were all in this together, and not a single team member wanted to lose so late in the tournament.

"Freya, I know you're with me, and the others too," Ariana said gratefully, stroking Treecko's head with a sad smile. "But I just have a weird feeling about this. I've never known myself to be so nervous about a battle before," Perhaps it was due in part to the strange and frankly intimidating situation that she found herself in. Her soon-to-be opponent, Jason Brown, had apparently been flown out of the stadium itself by his devoted Charizard after an attack went wrong. He had, of course, been brought back when he was fit enough, but he was so out-of-it after his horrifying experience that he was in a completely separate waiting room. Thus, Ariana had no knowledge about him other than he was a powerful Trainer and he had certain 'issues', as she liked to put it. Not the most ideal profile to be heading into battle against. She kept worrying that such a mysterious opponent would sweep her aside with ease, but seconds later she remembered she was a finalist too, and her battles hadn't exactly been as easy as pie. She would just have to forget about the enigma surrounding Jason and steel herself for battle, trust in her team and go all-out for victory if she wanted to achieve first place.

'Not long now,' Jason said to himself, his fists clenching and unclenching of their own accord as he stared ahead without actually seeing anything. He was incredibly tense and alert, twitching at the slightest noise, and there always seemed to be tongues of fire at the edge of his vision before he whipped around to see nothing out of the ordinary. Being nearly burned by a powerful Fire Blast had certainly not been the ideal set-up for a final battle, and although Shai had saved him from the gaze of the crowd and interference from do-gooder officials, he was still uncharacteristically high-strung after the incident. He had collapsed with fear, for goodness sake; hardly befitting for a Trainer of his calibre. What worried him most was the chance of his foe having a Fire type Pokemon, and him losing control at the sight of flames and completely throwing the battle away. He trusted his Pokemon to fight well and do their best for victory, but without a solid Trainer backing them up they lost a lot of their effectiveness. Shai was good to operate alone, but the others would be left vulnerable if he gave into fear. It was this knowledge, both that he would be letting his side down and the very idea of terror itself, that made him sick to the stomach, and he actually found himself trembling with nerves as he waited in the silence of his personal waiting room.

"Would Ariana Ada please enter the field. The match is about to begin,"

"Would Jason Brown please enter the field. The match is about to begin," Two separate speakers said in unison, and both Trainers reluctantly got to their feet, half dreading what was going to happen and half relieved that the wait was finally over. The two of them entered the arena at different points, and made their way to the battle-field, where the judge was waiting. Neither competitor took any notice of the announcer; Ariana was sizing Jason up, and Jason was doing his best to put up a tough facade as the gaze of the crowd seemed to pierce him.

"The final of the tournament has arrived, everyone! Two exceptional Trainers have fought off all challengers to rise to the coveted final battle, and here they will battle with six Pokemon each to decide the winner of the entire tournament. Jason, we are reliably informed, has recovered from his close encounter with Rapidash's Fire Blast, and is ready to show his own brand of incredible tactics and ice-cool determination. Ariana, the master of maximising the potential of unevolved Pokemon, is his opponent, and as always her brother Artemis is coaching. There will be no field changes today, so the battle will purely be down to each Trainer's skills as a Pokemon Trainer. No frills or tassels, merely guts and quick thinking,"

"Will the battlers please release their Pokemon in three... two... one..." the judge said, and each Trainer's nerves peaked as he lowered his flags with a swish.

"Shadow, you're up!"

"Ares, I choose you!"

"Jason has started off with Ditto, whilst Ariana has picked Riolu. Riolu certainly managed to defy all expectations by defeating Gardevoir earlier in the tournament, but can he beat an exact clone of himself?" the announcer pondered.

"Begin!"

"Ares, start off with Iron Defence!" Ariana ordered straight away; Ditto was evidently going to use Transform, so this was a chance to get a one-up on her foe before the fighting really got started. She knew she'd have to take every advantage she could if she wanted to beat Ditto's replication abilities.

"Shadow, Transform," Jason said. He was using Shadow more as a warm-up than a real battler, just to get him going, but that didn't mean he'd slack off by any means; Shadow wanted to claim a scalp for his collection as much as any of the others. Suddenly it was Riolu against Riolu, one smirking superiorly and the other deep in concentration, shining briefly with a metallic sheen that charged his whole body with defensive power. "Now, use Zen Headbutt!" Shadow lowered his head and dashed towards his stationary foe, his cranium wreathed in psychic energy.

"Ares, dodge it!" Ariana said quickly, and Ares charged towards Shadow, vaulting over his charging foe and landing right behind him. "Now, Ice Punch!"

"Shadow, Iron Defence!" Jason parried, and Ares' frosty fist slammed heavily into Ditto's stomach; however, Shadow didn't even flinch, as the same sheen that coated Ares enveloped him. He smiled savagely and looked to his master for further orders as Ares kept up the Ice Punches, battering harder and harder to try and force his supposed equal into submission. "Now, Force Palm!" Shadow slammed his crackling palm straight into Ares' face, sending him flying backwards as paralysis threatened to grip his limbs.

"Ares, keep going! Hit him with your Zen Headbutt!" Ares jumped back up, unwilling to even contemplate paralysis, and with a snarl he hurtled towards Shadow, hoping to land a super-effective blow.

"Block it with your Force Palm!" Jason commanded, and Ares found his charge halted as a palm slammed up against his lowered head, stopping him in his tracks completely. Before he could think about what to do next, Shadow landed another Force Palm, but this time to the stomach. "Now, Ice Punch!" Jason ordered as Ares staggered backwards, clutching his pounded guts in momentary pain. Shadow took great delight in snarling just like Ares before dealing a powerful uppercut laced with frigid power, and seconds later Ares was lying stiffly on the floor like a toppled statue, frozen solid.

"No! Ares, get up!" Ariana pleaded, trying to ignore Shadow's relishing howls of victory as he grinned at his master.

"Keep focused, Shadow. Zen Headbutt!" Shadow reared up above Ares, and slammed his energised forehead right onto his foe's, zapping his brain with psychic energy before retreating slightly to see whether his prey would get up.

"Ares, you aren't going to let a facsimile beat you, are you? That's not the Pokemon I know and love," Ariana said, and just as the words left her lips Ares' frozen fingers twitched. With a loud cracking noise, Ares forced himself upwards, shattering the ice around each joint in turn and getting steadily to his feet. The image of his grinning opponent just before the painful Zen Headbutt was pasted in his mind, and as he got back into a fighting stance he saw the fake leering before him again, challenging him to fight back. This was no real Riolu, and yet it was beating him! Such a state of affairs was unforgiveable. He would show this shapeshifter who had the real spirit of a Fighting Pokemon.

"Riolu!" he bellowed at his foe, glaring him straight in the eyes, and Ariana knew the real battle was just beginning.

"Let's show them what's what, Ares! Blaze Kick!" Ares howled wildly and hurtled forwards, his foot wreathed in spitting fire as he eagerly planned to wipe Shadow's smirk off his face in the most literal way possible. Jason was suddenly transfixed by the swirling blaze, and stepped backwards slightly as he felt the claws of fear clutch at him. Luckily, however, Shadow noticed in time, and barked once to snap his master back to attention.

"Iron Tail!" Jason cried, seeing Ares get dangerously close, and Shadow's glowing tail swept in a deadly arc towards his opponent. Ares snarled as the blow took him across the face, but was unwilling to give in so easily, and only drew back when he had planted a firm kick on Shadow's jaw. Ditto whined as he felt his badly burned face, retreating to a safe distance and favouring his injuries. As Ares grinned savagely, his sharp teeth gleaming in the sunlight, Shadow came back to himself slightly. He was Shadow, master of illusion. He could replicate anyone, and beat them at their own game. That was what he lived for. There was no special field to save his opponent this time; it was time to show his power and finesse to both the crowd and his master, and especially the runt he opposed. He straightened up and met Ares' gaze, and the Riolu's grin faltered slightly, then fell completely as he abandoned all pretence.

"Ares, he's no match for you. If we work together, we can beat him. Hit him with a Blaze Kick!" Ariana encouraged, and Ares raced forwards, his foot swirling with fire again as he got ready to batter Ditto into submission with a single precision strike.

"Shadow, Iron Tail! Show no mercy!" Jason commanded, and Shadow eagerly charged towards his own foe, gearing up his glowing tail to smash Ares into unconsciousness. The two Riolus picked up speed as they hurtled towards each other, throwing up dust clouds as their feet pounded the earth, their faces twisted into savage snarls. Shadow struck first, stopping in his tracks at just the right moment and swinging his whole body around to slam his steely tail right onto the side of Ares' head. However, Ares knew what was coming. Over many battles he had honed an incredible fighting instinct, and Ditto's tactic was like an open book. Thus he was able to grab Shadow's tail in mid-swing, stopping it cold before kicking Ditto in the throat. Shadow yelped and staggered backwards, the world swirling before his eyes, and Ares smiled.

"You may hold my appearance," he said to Shadow in the incomprehensible language of Pokemon. "You may even know my attacks. But you lack my spirit. A Fighting Pokemon's true nature. You may be my exact replica, creature, but you are no Riolu!" Pulling his hand back, he hammered Shadow full in the stomach with his Force Palm, a blow of such power that Shadow was unconscious before he even hit the floor.

"Ditto is unable to battle. Riolu is the winner!" the judge said, and Ditto's picture on the big screen went blank.

"Ares, you fought like a true master. I don't know what you said to him just before the end, but I'm sure you proved that only you are a proper Riolu. Accept no substitutes," Ariana said smugly, recalling the victorious Riolu and feeling her nerves settle again. Despite her faith in Ares, she hadn't been completely sure who was going to win that fight.

"Shadow, that was good. The ending was always in doubt, and I'm sure with a few more hits you would have won," Jason said. He was disappointed that Shadow had lost, but he was feeling more in the zone now. There would be no hesitation in the next match.

"Riolu is once again victorious for his master in a battle that was certainly back and forth. The next match could be pivotal; is Ariana off to a winning start, or will Jason take the chance to fight back and perhaps reclaim the tournament for himself?" the announcer said.

"Please release your Pokemon in three... two... one..." the judge said, and the battlers once again unleashed their warriors.

"Apollo, go!"

"Streak, it's you!"

"Ariana continues with Growlithe, another canine Pokemon who put up a valiant fight against Kingdra in his last match. Jason has released Electivire, whose debut battle with Kurogasa's Pidgeot won his master the match, perhaps allowing him to be here today," the announcer intoned as he looked over the Pokemon.

"Begin!"

"Apollo, start off with a Will-o-Wisp!" Ariana ordered. A burn would both pain Electivire and lower his formidable attacking power, so she knew it was best to strike as early as possible for the best results. Growlithe breathed out three flickering orbs of purple flame, which hovered towards Electivire, sizzling ominously with ghostly power.

"Streak, Light Screen!" Jason countered, and a shimmering panel of energy suddenly appeared in front of Electivire. The Will-o-Wisps crackled and sparked as they crashed into it, but one by one they sputtered out, unable to penetrate the barrier. "Now, Charge Beam!"

"Apollo, fight it off with Flamethrower!" Ariana parried, and electricity and fire collided over the battle-field, pressing up against each other as each Pokemon put more and more energy into the attack.

"Streak, time for a Fire Punch!" Jason suddenly ordered, and Electivire rumbled towards Growlithe, his fist flaming and drawing in the power of Growlithe's fire, protecting and powering up Streak at the same time. "Get as close as you can!" He knew that Growlithe's ability was Flash Fire, so a Fire Punch would only help him, but as soon as Streak got within range he'd change tack and Apollo would be suffering a dead-on Thunderpunch.

"Apollo, that can't hurt you! Use Fire Spin!" Ariana said eagerly, seeing that Jason had apparently made a mistake in the heat of battle. Growlithe stopped the Flamethrower and instead unleashed a towering tornado of flames, which hissed and spat as it moved to completely envelop the charging Electric Pokemon he faced.

"Streak, protect yourself with Psychic! Then Thunderpunch!" Jason said, seeing a premature chance to hit Growlithe hard. Streak stopped in his tracks for a second and actually allowed the Fire Spin to swirl around him, threatening to burn him to a crisp for a second before he exploded it outwards with a blast of mental energy. Growlithe was taken by surprise as Streak emerged relatively unharmed from the blaze, which was now reduced to a rain of ineffectual embers that floated down like snow. The Fire Pokemon yelped as Streak's crackling fist slammed into him, pounding him with dozens of volts on top of the raw strength of the blow, but he jumped back to his feet again with a growl, eager to fight back for his master.

"Apollo, attack with Iron Tail!" Ariana cried, annoyed at herself for being caught out completely by Jason's combination, and Growlithe loped forwards, his tail glowing with power.

"Streak, Barrier!" Jason ordered at what seemed to be the last possible second, and Growlithe's tail swipe stopped short of his target, halted by a thick translucent shield that sprung up with a split-second of Streak's concentration.

"In that case, use Flamethrower!" Ariana commanded as soon as Growlithe landed, and Electivire stumbled backwards, bellowing in pain as a concentrated jet of fire smashed his barrier and washed up against him.

"Streak, keep going! Earthquake!" Jason ordered quickly as Electivire was pushed further and further back by the blaze, and the Electric Pokemon stomped one of his feet onto the ground as hard as he could, sending out a ripple of shockwaves.

"Apollo, jump and use Iron Tail!" Ariana instructed.

"Streak, Thunder!" Jason said with an air of terrible finality, and as the shockwaves rolled underneath Apollo, a bolt of lightning rained down from on high, catching him in mid-leap as Streak directed it with masterful skill. As he wasn't grounded, the Thunder's power hammered him even harder than usual, wracking him with electrical power that made his beautiful fur sizzle and smoke as he fell to the floor with a thump. "Keep it up! Thunderpunch!" Apollo yelped with pain as an equally powerful strike sent him flying before he could even properly get to his feet, and his body trembled as he rose bravely to fight again. Streak's striped fur crackled with electricity and his face creased with annoyance as his Fire type foe got back up. He had hit the puppy with all of his best moves, and still he was willing to fight. Apollo, on the other hand, was keeping going on sheer courage and devotion alone, a fact that Ariana quickly picked up on.

"Apollo, try and rest a while. Let them make the first move," she whispered, and Growlithe nodded, panting tiredly.

"Keep your guard up, Streak. We can't relax until Growlithe is completely unconscious," Jason said, not willing to jeopardise his chances with an overconfident strike. "Hit him with a Charge Beam, full power," Apollo's eyes shut with pain as a continuous bolt of lightning zapped him; it wasn't as strong as the Thunder, but he could feel his strength ebbing by the second. Pain flared in every part of his body as Electivire increased the voltage, intent on destroying his will to fight as quickly as possible. He shivered and was about to pass out, but Ariana's voice tethered him to reality.

"Apollo, please keep going! You can beat this guy, I know you can! Throw off his Charge Beam and use Overheat!" Apollo steeled his legs as hard as possible, concentrating only on staying upright before forcing his eyelids open and gritting his teeth. He was flirting more and more with blissful unconsciousness, but his pride wouldn't let him go down without a good fight. Standing firm, he bucked his head and dissipated the Charge Beam with sheer strength and determination.

"Streak, Thunder!" Jason shouted, seeing that Growlithe's resolve was far higher than he would have expected, and the stadium was bathed in the glow of two incredible attacks as both Pokemon unleashed their elemental power. Apollo's eyes widened as a rippling bolt of purest lightning struck him from the sky, but Streak was having his own fair share of problems as a cone of white-hot fire consumed him in a deadly inferno. Both Pokemon remained conscious only for a few more seconds before collapsing practically simultaneously, smoking slightly from the sheer energy they had unleashed and received in equal measure.

"Electivire and Growlithe are unable to battle. This battle is a draw," the judge announced. Jason's fingers trembled as he recalled Streak; that Overheat had taken him by surprise in its ferocity, and he had been inches away from fleeing again as the immensely powerful fire roiled close by. It had been too close for his liking.

"S... Streak, return. You did well," he mumbled, straightening his glasses and forcing himself to snap out of his daze. He needed to win three out of the next four battles to win the tournament, which was a tall order.

"Apollo, come back. You were fantastic. I've rarely seen such strength of will in any battle before, so well done," Ariana said. If only she had predicted Jason's tactic with Earthquake and Thunder... perhaps Apollo would be victorious now, and she'd be one step closer to winning. Two more battles to clinch the top spot... could she regain her winning streak, or was this where it all came apart?

"Both Electivire and Growlithe were knocked out by those final attacks, which means that now a draw is impossible. Both competitors now need to win three matches overall to triumph," the announcer said excitedly as the judge stepped up again.

"Please release your Pokemon in three... two... one..." he said, and swished his flags through the air.

"Honey, it's your turn!"

"Golddigger, let's go!"

"Ariana sends out Pichu whilst Jason picks Golduck! Ariana certainly seems to have the advantage, but in this tournament it has been consistently proved that a type mismatch means absolutely nothing!" the announcer exclaimed.

"Begin!"

"Honey, start off with Sweet Kiss!" Ariana said; if she could get Golduck confused, she'd be off to a great start. Pichu blew a cute kiss at Golduck, and a small heart floated towards the Water Pokemon from his lips.

"Golddigger, Substitute!" Jason ordered, and a doll-like figure resembling Golduck to an uncanny degree took his place on the field with a puff of smoke. The Sweet Kiss touched the Substitute and exploded into a thousand smaller hearts, but none of them had any effect whatsoever on the lifeless facsimile. "Now, Disable!" The jewel on the Substitute's head glowed with blue power, which seized Pichu in an iron grip and mentally blocked his confusion-inducing attack, rendering the electric mouse unable to use it at all.

"No worries, Honey! He's not going anywhere, so aim well and use Zap Cannon!" Ariana adapted to the annoyance quickly, and Honey created an orb of pure electrical power that he hurled at the Substitute with all the deceptive strength in his tiny body.

"Golddigger, fend it off with Ice Beam!" Jason ordered; the last thing he wanted was for the Substitute to be defeated so quickly. A frosty, crackling beam blasted from the Substitute's flat beak, slamming into the Zap Cannon and making it explode in a discharge of dancing sparks and tendrils of lightning. The Substitute was thrown backwards by the force, but not completely destroyed, just as Jason had hoped. "Keep the Ice Beam going!" Honey was forced onto the defensive as the unmoving Golduck doll lanced frigid energy bolts at him every few seconds, never letting up and creating patches of ice wherever it struck.

"Honey, keep dodging and power up a Shockwave!" Ariana cried, and Honey throbbed with electricity as he amassed all of his power, simultaneously slipping away from the Ice Beams that threatened to encase him in a solid block of ice. Ariana hoped she had pinpointed the weakness of Jason's strategy; a Substitute could think and act as quickly as Golduck himself, but it couldn't move an inch, meaning that it had to redirect its Ice Beam with every miss rather than twist his head and keep it constant. This gave Honey the split-seconds he needed to evade each one, and soon he was blasting his own attack straight back, an arrow-like thunderbolt that could never miss. The Substitute disintegrated and Golduck reappeared as the Shockwave hit, but the duck-like creature was instantly ready for battle; a fact that Jason was quick to take advantage of.

"Golddigger, Aqua Jet!" Golduck surrounded himself with a veil of water, and before Ariana could open her mouth he had slammed into her beloved Pichu, sending him flying backwards as a flurry of water and clawed limbs battered his babyish body. "Yes! Psychic!" Jason said confidently, eager to be on the continuous attack, and Honey found himself assailed on all sides by a miasma of mental energy that mercilessly pounded both body and mind as Golddigger skilfully manipulated it.

"Honey, stay strong! Shockwave!" Ariana said desperately, and Pichu just managed to beat Golddigger back with a precision bolt before the Psychic completely overwhelmed him.

"Golddigger, renew the attack! Don't let them recuperate! Use Hypnosis!" Jason commanded, and Golddigger recovered from the impact, waving his arms as his jewel glowed and emitted mind-soothing waves of power. Pichu's eyelids drooped as the energy washed over him, and he staggered back and forth, wondering why he suddenly felt so tired all of a sudden.

"Honey, he's using Hypnosis! Now's your chance for Thunder!" Ariana cried, and Honey throbbed with electricity, sending a thunderbolt up into the air that was quickly answered by another, twice as powerful. Luckily for Jason, Golddigger's Hypnosis was paying off, and the Thunder was off target just for long enough for Pichu to finally slip into slumber.

"Good job, Golddigger! Blast him with Hydro Pump!" Golddigger opened his mouth and unleashed a concentrated spout of water, blasting Pichu all the way back to Ariana's feet and forcing him into wakefulness under the incredible pressure. He squealed as the water washed all around him, battering him like a raging current and making it hard to think and fight back.

"Honey, it's time for Volt Tackle!" Ariana ordered anxiously, seeing Pichu slipping away, and the Electric Pokemon was suddenly surrounded by a haze of electricity, using it to ride the Hydro Pump right back to its source.

"Golddigger, stop!" Jason yelled, but it was too late; Golduck was sent flying as Pichu impacted with a flash of electricity, and the Water Pokemon suffered not only the impact of his foe's charge but hundreds of volts of power that crackled through him, blackening his blue skin and seizing up his muscles. "No! We won't admit defeat this time!" Jason said firmly as Golddigger looked set to give in. "Use Refresh!" Golduck infused his own body with healing power, and soon he was back on his feet, groggy but resolved to keep fighting and achieve a victory for his master.

"Honey, that was really good! Finish him with a Thunder!" Ariana encouraged excitedly, a second victory within her grasp, but she had underestimated how badly damaged Pichu was. The Volt Tackle had hammered him with a fair amount of recoil, and he was finding it hard to get his head together to strike back.

"Golddigger, now! Ice Beam!" Jason thundered, and Honey was knocked off his feet by a familiar crackling lance of icy power as the attack compiled with his own exertion and forced him to faint.

"Pichu is unable to battle. Golduck is the winner," the judge announced.

"Aw, man... Honey, return. I guess I pushed you too hard that time," Ariana said regretfully, recalling the Electric Pokemon.

"Thank you, Golddigger. You've allowed me to get into my stride," Jason said, and Golduck smiled good-naturedly before being sucked back into his Pokeball.

"Golduck overcomes the type disadvantage – not altogether unexpectedly, considering how many disadvantaged Pokemon have already triumphed in this tournament! – and Jason is the winner! Now both Trainers must win two more battles to achieve first place, so I think we can expect some ferocious fighting on the field," the announcer said.

"Please release your Pokemon in three... two... one..."

"Athena, go!"

"Lavender, you're up!"

"Ariana has sent out Azumarill, whose battle with Staraptor in the second semi-final match was certainly a fan favourite. Jason counters with Absol, who we know is a dangerous and unpredictable creature from her draw with Ari's Drapion,"

"Begin!" the judge said importantly.

"Lavender, start off with Psycho Cut!" Jason commanded, and a rippling slice of psychic energy hurtled through the air towards Azumarill as Absol swung her crackling head-scythe heavily.

"Athena, destroy it with Ice Beam, then go in for an Iron Tail!" Ariana countered, and Azumarill charged forwards, blasting the Psycho Cut into shimmering smithereens with a well-placed energy beam and following in its wake with her tail glowing ominously. Absol was rooted in place with shock as Athena bounced up into the air, swinging her tail round and round and coming in from the sun for added impact, but Jason had seen the jump coming.

"Lavender, Detect!" he ordered, and the Iron Tail slammed onto the ground as Absol rolled away by a hairsbreadth. "Now, Night Slash!" The first attack of the battle hit home as Lavender leapt in from the side, slashing Athena across the face with her crackling scythe and sending the Azumarill flying backwards.

"Athena, don't give up! Water Pulse!" Ariana said, and as Athena got up she created a hurled a globe of water, infused with mind-warping power, with all of her strength.

"Lavender, Double Team!" Jason commanded, and the Water Pulse slammed through an image as a dozen Absols took to the field, each of them identical but only one of them the real deal.

"Hmm... stay alert, Athena. She'll emerge eventually," Ariana said, trying to keep her voice steady as the Absols surrounded her Pokemon. Athena relaxed slightly, closing her eyes and breathing heavily as if in meditation whilst she waited for the order.

"Lavender, see how they handle a Razor Wind from all sides," Jason said, weighing up the situation quickly; if Lavender could just manipulate the Razor Wind enough, Azumarill wouldn't know which direction it was coming from. That meant that he could attack with impunity and wait for the perfect moment. Suddenly, a swirling gust of wind was battering Athena where she stood, blowing first this way, then that, and filled with tiny slices of energy that riddled Azumarill constantly. The Water Pokemon stood firm, eyeing each image and gritting her teeth, but it was only a matter of time before she gave up.

"Athena, I know you can stand strong! Use Ice Beam to destroy them one after the other!" Ariana said; she knew it wasn't wise to test Athena's durability at this crucial stage, but nothing else sprang to mind. Jason smiled slightly as his foe opted for the simplest tactic; it would work, but Azumarill would suffer a lot of damage, and it would take a while to accomplish. The perfect chance to hasten her demise had arrived.

"Lavender, Quick Attack!" he cried, and Azumarill was bowled over backwards as Absol rammed her; but before she could get a fix on the real culprit, Lavender had merged with her images again. Again and again Lavender hammered Athena with lightning-swift passes, just to disappear within the throng of Absols that still surrounded her beleaguered foe, and it was obvious that Azumarill was starting to flag. Ariana needed to come up with something, and fast.

"Athena, get up close and personal with those images! Iron Tail all of them!" she cried, and Azumarill dodged another Quick Attack before hurling herself at the nearest image, which vanished on contact. Sweeping her tail in a wide circle, she destroyed those closest, and immediately she starting bouncing between each image, destroying one after another as she went into overdrive for her master. The Water Pokemon knew this was her best chance of survival, and she wasn't going to let Ariana down. Not this time. Jason was troubled by the Azumarill's unexpected speed and ferocity, but he wasn't going to stand back and applaud it.

"Lavender, Shadow Ball! Keep up a barrage!" he ordered as Azumarill destroyed the image furthest from the real Absol, and Lavender created and hurled orb after orb of writhing shadows, throwing up clouds of dirt when they missed and crackling fiercely when they hit.

"Athena, the real one's over there!" Ariana shrieked, tracing the Shadow Balls to their source. "Hyper Beam!" Athena gathered all of her strength for a moment before blasting a beam of pure orange power towards Absol, incinerating all the Shadow Balls in its path with ease.

"Lavender, your Hyper Beam!" Jason commanded as quickly as he could, and Lavender unleashed a beam of energy just as powerful as Athenas just in time, stopping it several metres short of its target; however, the unrestrained power of each beam exploded on contact with the other, hurling each Pokemon helplessly backwards and battering them with the out-of-control surge as well as the sharp sting of feedback inherent to every Hyper Beam. Athena landed in front of her master like a discarded toy, splayed out and singed by the power, but still conscious – but only barely. Lavender's once-shiny and beautiful coat had been blackened by the explosion and covered in dust from the stadium floor, and her legs were trembling like a newborn's as she prepared herself to continue.

"Athena, can you keep going?" Ariana asked tentatively, scared that any disturbance would push Azumarill over the edge, but the Water Pokemon got to her feet unsteadily, shook herself down and took up a shaky battle-stance. "That's the Athena I know! Let's finish this with a Water Pulse!"

"Lavender, Night Slash!" Jason gambled, and Lavender galloped towards her foe, her scythe glinting with dark energy whilst Azumarill focused her remaining strength into one last globe of water; this was it, the last of her reserves. If this failed, she didn't stand a chance. Lavender was feeling similarly apprehensive. If Azumarill created the Water Pulse before she could get up close and slash her, it was all over. This thought spurred her on, and with a vicious growl she leapt up towards her foe, bringing her head back to build up momentum as Athena hurled the Water Pulse with all of her waning strength. There was a splash of water and a crackle on unleashed energy as Lavender took the close-range Water Pulse and Athena suffered a direct Night Slash, and both Pokemon staggered backwards, reeling but unwilling to give up.

"Athena, you're doing great. Stay strong for me," Ariana encouraged softly as Athena started to waver.

"Lavender, finish her with Hyper Beam!" Jason commanded, and Lavender stood strong for a second, amassing power whilst Athena did her best not to betray her fear. However, it was fear unwarranted. The Water Pulse had more than hurt Lavender; it had confused her. And now she was feeling the force of her own Hyper Beam ripple through her as she lost control of the power, her vision swimming with confusing lights and strange visions. The Absol shuddered as the recoil died down, then gave a pitiful squeak and collapsed.

"Absol is unable to battle. Azumarill is the winner!" the judge announced.

"Azumarill and Absol's vicious battle could have gone either way there, but it seems as though Absol was unable to handle the confusion dealt by the Water Pulse! Ariana only has to win a single match to become tournament champion, but if Jason wins this next battle, it'll be a fight to the finish!" the announcer exclaimed.

"Athena, return for a good rest. I'm really proud of you," Ariana said stroking Athena's long ears before recalling her.

"Lavender, come back. Confusion has always been your enemy. It seems that now we'll have to fight all the harder for victory," Jason murmured to his second-to-last Pokeball. "I know you won't fail me,"

"Please release your Pokemon in three... two... one..." the judge said, and two more Pokemon entered the fray.

"Freya, let's go!"

"Guardian, I choose you!"

"And here we have a match-up of two past winners; Lucario overcame Kurogasa's powerful Alakazam in the very first match of the tournament, whilst Treecko defeated Corey's Steelix in the very last one! Will Lucario's Steel characteristics manage to put him one step above Treecko, or will the disadvantage just spur the Grass Pokemon to victory?" the announcer wondered.

"Begin!"

"Guardian, start off with a Flash Cannon!" Jason ordered; he felt reasonably confident about this match-up, but that didn't mean he was going to get lax. If they were going to get into fisticuffs, it would be on his terms. Lucario instantly blasted a white beam of light from his eyes, and white noise filled the stadium as it thundered towards the battle-ready Freya.

"Freya, dodge it with Quick Attack!" Ariana parried. This one would require a lot of thought, but she trusted Freya to pull it off until she could think of a decent plan. Freya was immediately dashing back and forth, a silver trail staining the air behind her as she evaded the deadly barrage of Flash Cannons.

"She's fast," Jason admitted as the Treecko slipped away from yet another blast. "But not fast enough. Guardian, Extremespeed!" Guardian jetted forwards and slammed heavily into Treecko, battering her with a flurry of strikes before finally kicking her aside; the Grass Pokemon's Quick Attack seemed to be in slow motion compared to his Extremespeed.

"Freya, Iron Tail!" Ariana commanded, and Freya swung her tail around from her position on the floor, sweeping Lucario's feet out from under him and drawing out a surprised roar. "Now, Energy Ball!"

"Guardian, Dark Pulse!" Jason ordered, and Guardian focused again, ignoring the Grass power that crackled through his mind and blasting Treecko off him with a stream of Dark power. Shaking his head, he leapt back up, glaring thunderously at the unbowed Treecko he faced. It was inconceivable, but that Energy Ball to the head had hurt him. He would pay this Treecko back for its insolence no matter what.

"Freya, that was brilliant. Keep him at bay with Magical Leaf!" Ariana said; she too had seen the effect that Energy Ball had had on Lucario, and hope blossomed anew. With a swish of her tail, Freya sent a whistling hail of glowing leaves towards Guardian, who didn't even flinch as they sped towards him.

"Guardian, time for Bone Rush!" Jason commanded, and Guardian created a glowing blue bone-staff with a sweep of his hands; suddenly the Magical Leaves were being smashed into pieces as Guardian swept his staff left and right, parrying each leaf before it could strike and hurling himself towards Treecko with a snarl.

"Freya, Iron Tail!" Ariana cried, hoping to catch Jason off-guard. Freya's tail glowed with power as she met Lucario's charge, and the two Pokemon fought in a vicious duel, slamming their respective weapons against each other as hard as possible with constant crackles of power. Lucario had the strength advantage but Freya was using her agility to outspeed her savage foe, meaning that neither had the overwhelming advantage. Jason knew this had to change quickly; the whole close-range combat had been Ariana's idea, and for that reason he had to escape it as quickly as possible.

"Guardian, Extremespeed!" he commanded, and the bone-staff vanished as Lucario hammered Freya with another volley of super-quick strikes, hitting far too hard and fast for her to dodge and finally slamming her bodily onto the ground. "Finish it with Bone Rush!"

"Freya, Quick Attack!" Ariana ordered, and Lucario's bone-staff slammed onto the ground as Freya sped away, crawling along on all fours like a true gecko before jumping back up and assuming a fighting stance.

"Let's try a Dragon Pulse, then!" Jason cried, seeing that they had the temporary advantage, and Lucario put his palms together, creating a blast of Dragon power that seethed towards Treecko like a thunderbolt.

"Freya, dodge and use Aerial Ace!" Ariana counter-commanded, knowing that this was the perfect chance. Treecko bounced into the air, propelled by her tail, and as the Dragon Pulse sped underneath she rocketed down towards Guardian, who was helpless to dodge and took the dive-bombing charge right in the stomach. He fell back with a roar, temporarily winded, and Ariana pressed her advantage. "Now, Energy Ball!" Treecko hopped onto Lucario's chest, creating an orb of natural power and slamming it directly into his face. Guardian's features were lit up eerily green as the Grass attack zapped him, and his mind reeled as sheer power coursed through it, directed by the Treecko he faced.

"No! Extremespeed!" Jason commanded as Guardian looked set to crumble, and Lucario sped forwards, but his vision was still blurred with the Energy Ball and he missed as Freya side-stepped.

"Yes! Good work, Freya! Use Iron Tail!" Guardian was sent flying as a powerful blow struck his back, and he landed right in front of Jason, panting heavily and trembling as the exertion took its toll.

"Guardian, keep it up. I know you can do this," Jason said softly, trying to keep the anxiety out of his voice; if Guardian failed, it was all over. It took a second for Guardian to interpret the words, as his head was still swimming with pain and aftershocks of the Energy Ball, but he gritted his teeth as he realised the trust his master had placed in him. He was his master's last hope. Jason had placed his trust in him, and this was how he was being rewarded? By watching his pathetic Lucario get beaten around by a Treecko? No. It would not continue. He was Guardian, his master's most faithful Pokemon. He had even faced off against Shai the Charizard in his master's interests before, and now he was falling under the assault of a Treecko. Again, no. This was where it ended. This was where he fought like a true Lucario. Roaring as much to keep himself focused as to unnerve Freya, he lurched to his feet, determined to battle once more.

"He's getting angry now, Freya," Ariana murmured to her Pokemon, seeing the wildness in Guardian's eyes. "Keep him out of range with a Bullet Seed!" Guardian snarled and crossed his hands over his face as a volley of glowing seeds slammed into him, targeting his weakest areas and threatening to force him into total defeat. But he wasn't willing to fall easily, and he waited patiently for his master's instructions, praying for a chance to get even with his opponent.

"I knew you were strong enough, Guardian. Use Aura Sphere, then Bone Rush!" Jason bellowed, and Guardian howled along with him, ignoring the Bullet Seed completely as he fashioned a shining sphere of blue power, tossing it up into the air before creating his bone-staff again and whacking it straight towards Treecko. Freya cried out with pain as the launched missile slammed into her, powering past her Bullet Seed and knocking her off her feet. As she opened her eyes hazily and prepared to get up, she saw Guardian standing above her, holding his bone-staff like a sacrificial knife before slamming the knobbly end right between her eyes. Her vision swam with a thousand blinking nights and her ears rang, but only for a second, as unconsciousness overtook her.

"Treecko is unable to battle. Lucario is the winner!" the judge announced. Guardian smiled savagely, propping himself up on his bone-staff as Treecko was recalled. He was strong enough. He was, as ever, a credit to his master. Suddenly, however, his smile faded. He felt... strange. His limbs seemed to be robbed of all of their strength, and he yelped with horror as he realised what was happening. He was sensitive to other people's auras; so sensitive, in fact, that he had aurection syndrome, where he collapsed from 'aura overload'. The current source of the overload: Ariana. He could feel her determination throbbing like a living creature, so obvious and overwhelming it was as if it were a separate being. He had rarely known fear before, but faced with Ariana's incredible aura and Jason's unheard-of anxiety, now was one of those times. He crumpled and fainted from exertion as the pressure of both Trainers' auras pushed him over the edge.

"Guardian, no!" Jason cried, running out onto the battle-field as Lucario collapsed. He could tell the symptoms a mile away, but was it his aura or Ariana's that made him faint? But now was not the time to ask. Guardian seemed to be fine, but he needed treatment; until then, Jason sucked him into his Pokeball. "You did exceptionally well, Guardian. Shai will win this battle in your name," Jason promised.

"Lucario defeats Treecko with an impressive combination, but faints shortly afterwards due to the sheer exertion from the battle!" the announcer assumed as Lucario was returned. "And now it comes to this. The last battle of the tournament! Each Trainer will have to give it their absolute all; whoever wins this, wins the tournament,"

"Would both Trainers please release their Pokemon in three... two... one..." the judge said, and lowered his flags for the final time.

"Miracle, it's you!"

"Shai, attack!"

"Ariana has sent out Eevee, which is countered by Jason's Charizard! Eevee may look outmatched, but remember how she took down Corey's Heracross – who actually had a type advantage, unlike Charizard," the announcer summed up.

"Begin!"

"Keep a cool head, Shai. It may look weak, but all of her Pokemon do. It's part of her strategy," Jason warned Shai. "And logically this one is the strongest in her arsenal, so you'll have to go the extra distance to win," Shai snorted in response and prepared to fight, his tail swishing back and forth.

"This is going to be tough, Mira," Ariana said anxiously. "But stay strong. I'm sure we can win if we work together," So this was the Charizard she had heard about, the one who had come back from the brink of defeat to aid his master and defeat Ari's Rapidash, putting Jason in the final. But she wouldn't let its reputation get her down. It was kill or be killed this late in the tournament. "Start off with Swift!" A hail of shining stars hurtled towards Shai as Eevee began the offensive, and he knew he couldn't avoid them, so a split-second later they were hammering against an unfeeling Protect. When they died down, Shai flapped his wings and sped through the air towards his opponent, his claws beginning to gleam with Dragon-fire as he geared himself up for a powerful strike. "Whoa! No commands, eh? Then we'll definitely have to work together! Use Quick Attack!" Ariana ordered.

Mira shot forwards, a silver trail gleaming behind her, and she leapt into the air and rammed the flying Charizard before landing perfectly in a battle-stance. Shai reeled from the blow; that would teach him for getting overconfident. This furball could prove to be a bigger threat than he first thought, just like his master Jason said. But now it was time to test out just how good this creature was. Landing heavily opposite Mira, he breathed out a cloud of thick smoke which covered him completely from view, before softening the ground with a blast of flame and clawing his way through it. As the smoke dispersed, Ariana spotted the gaping hole, and knew what was happening. "Mira, use your Dig to escape!" she cried, and Eevee burrowed under the ground; for a moment there was deadly calm, as the battle-field was silent and devoid of life, but inevitably the storm broke as a frustrated Shai erupted from his hiding place with a spray of dirt and rocks. With a great flap of his wings he was again airborne, and he scanned the ground with hawk-like eyes, ready to bathe his emerging foe in an inferno as his Dig had been cleverly foiled.

"Shai, use Protect, then Dragon Claw!" Jason suddenly ordered, and the Charizard knew it must be for his own good, so he abandoned his own plan and landed with a thump, enveloping himself in a translucent globe of energy. Sure enough, Eevee burst from the ground a second later, but her claws and teeth were ineffectual against the barrier and she ended up being slashed across the face with a fiery claw-swipe that sent her flying backwards.

"Mira, Shadow Ball!" Ariana cried as Eevee landed, and the Normal Pokemon hurled a crackling globe of dark power towards her foe, which picked up speed and power with every metre. Shai roared and stumbled backwards as the Shadow Ball connected, zapping him with painful energies, but as soon as it died down he took to the air, flying around the battle-field above Eevee as fast as possible to try and catch her off-guard. He wasn't entirely sure of a plan yet, but when it came to him, he'd put Eevee away for good. "Mira, don't let him confuse you! Use Swift!" Ariana ordered, seeing Charizard building up speed and becoming increasingly unpredictable, and once again Mira unleashed a volley of stars, which homed in on Shai like unerring rockets. The Charizard bellowed as they slammed into him, one after the other, first to the head, then the body, then the head again...

He spiralled back down to earth as the last of them struck his wing joint painfully, and shook himself down. Despite his master's fear, it was time. He glanced over to Jason and snorted, breathing embers from his cavernous nostrils, and Jason nodded grimly, ready to avert his eyes. A fire attack was the last thing he needed with his nerves on the edge like this, but he realised that Shai needed to do more than usual to clinch the win. Shai shifted his focus back to Mira as his master gave his consent, and let the power build within him, power he rarely used but which never failed him. He opened his mouth to roar as his whole body glowed with intense heat, but instead of a feral bellow, a jet of flames gushed out, and with a real roar this time he breathed out a gigantic, spitting tornado of devastating flames, which crept towards Mira and threatened to suck her in an incinerate her. "Fire Spin! Mira, dodge it and use Quick Attack!"

Miracle backed away from the Fire Spin, luring it as far from Shai as possible before skirting around it and rocketing towards her dragonish foe, slamming him full in the stomach. Shai snarled and batted the creature away with a Dragon Claw, sending her flying backwards, where she was enveloped by the waiting tornado. Mira squealed as the fire swirled around her, singeing her fur, making it difficult to breathe and drying out her eyes. There was nowhere to run; wherever she went, she'd burn. And it was closing in, ever so slowly, as if Charizard wanted to drag out the torment. But she was Ariana's last Pokemon, her last hope. She couldn't despair or the battle would be lost.

Shai, meanwhile, was feeling near-euphoric. He relished the power that seethed through his veins, the power that lay within all Fire type Pokemon, the power to create incredible flames and mould them to his will. A power long denied by his flame-fearing master, and thus one all the sweeter to finally use. He breathed more Flamethrowers into the air to show the world his power, just because he could. "Mira, use Dig to get out of there!" Ariana shouted, and luckily Mira heard her through the constant crackling and hissing of her flaming prison. Knowing there was nothing else for it, she directed all of her energy towards the ground, clawing and even biting until she was safe in its cool confines. She breathed heavily and savoured the smell of the earth as it dampened her smouldering fur, and it was only with reluctance that she dug her way back to her master, emerging in front of Ariana and panting heavily. "Mira! Are you OK to keep going?" Ariana asked with tenderness always reserved for her precious Eevee.

Mira looked up and smiled, nodding once before facing her foe again. Now that she was out in the open air again, she felt a lot better. Charizard's power was immense, but that wouldn't stop her. Nothing would. "Let's show him a Shadow Ball, then!" Mira summoned the necessary energy and hurled her Shadow Ball at Shai as hard as she could, knowing that one wrong move could be her last. Shai grunted as the blow impacted, slamming into his face and making his head crackle with painful energy. He hadn't even noticed his Fire Spin had died down, he was so exhilarated by his own power. Not only had it faded, it had failed to destroy Eevee. But far from being disappointed, he was glad; now he had another target to unleash his fury upon in full fiery measure. His tail flame grew and grew as he manipulated it with disdainful ease, until it enveloped him in a raging haze of fire. With a great howl, he hurtled towards Eevee as fast as he could, preparing to wipe her out with a Flare Blitz of incredible power. "He's out of control," Ariana said under her breath, seeing Jason recoiling slightly from the sight of his Charizard wreathed with flames. "This is our chance. Mira, keep him at bay with Swift, then get ready for a Quick Attack!"

Miracle stood firm as Charizard hurtled towards her, making the air hot even from this distance away, and soon the Fire Pokemon was being hammered by a hail of stars, all of them exploding against his face, wing-joints and other weak points as Miracle stayed cool under the pressure. Shai snarled with anger and pain as the stars stung every inch of his body, strategically manipulated to hurt as much as possible. But the red, flaming haze in his vision blotted out all the possible consequences of his charge, as well as a lot of the pain that wracked his burning body, and with a huge explosion of fire he collided with his tiny opponent, lashing her with his tail, slashing with his claws and burning her with the flames that threatened to consume them both. He staggered backwards under the recoil, but blasted another Flamethrower into the air, shrieking his power and victory to the stadium, glorying in his own pain, as it meant he was truly unleashing his Fire powers at last. "Mira!" Ariana called. "Mira, please! Please get up!"

Miracle's ears twitched as the words of her master reached her. Pain was throbbing through every inch of her body; that Flare Blitz had been incredible, and still she sensed it wasn't her foe's true potential. Did she really stand a chance against such power? Her body said no, that she should give in and rest as soon as possible. She couldn't take another hit, and the very thought of doing so made her insides freeze with terror. But her spirit said yes. Ariana still believed in her, was still relying on her. Ariana, who she had been with for so long, so many adventures and so many friends and rivals. The girl she loved more than life itself. The two of them were the inseparable pair, together forever. It was time now to show that devotion. Screwing all of her resolve together and ignoring her agonised flesh, she pushed herself to her feet and opened her eyes, gazing over at the raging Charizard with victory the only thought in her mind.

Shai momentarily stopped his display as Eevee stood up, and snorted flames, his anger boiling over and his tail-flame growing ever larger. Still she wanted to battle? She was tough and spunky, he'd give her that. But she wouldn't survive his masterwork, the most powerful attack in his arsenal and the arsenal of every other Fire Pokemon. Breathing in as much as he could, he aligned himself with Eevee and exhaled a roaring sheet of fire, so hot that the ground it passed over glowed red and even burst into flames. Shai gloried in his power as he unleashed his Blast Burn, covering the field in an unstoppable inferno that would soon reach his opponent and destroy her utterly. "Miracle, use Dig and Iron Tail!" Ariana shrieked, seeing the end of the battle draw near, and Miracle put all of her faith into her Trainer and clawed her way beneath the ground again, vanishing from sight as the Blast Burn swept overhead.

The ground was soggy, but boiling at the same time, and the melted earth clung to her coat an slowed her down. She felt like she was digging towards the heart of a volcano, and her paws were swollen and burned from the intense heat given off by the ground they dug through, but she closed her eyes and pushed herself on, ignoring the pain as best she could. Above ground, Shai was ready. He had heard Ariana's command; Dig and Iron Tail. When the creature emerged from the ground, he would show her what being a Fire Pokemon really meant. Taking another look at the burning battle-field, he snorted his contentment and glanced to Jason for approval.

But his master wasn't cheering him on as expected. He looked horrified, both by Shai's power and the memories that the fire brought so readily to mind. The man looked more scared than Shai could remember, and with a flash Charizard remembered meeting Jason as a Charmander. On that day, he never knew what sort of life he would have, or what hardships they would go through together. They had been happy, but then came the day when his Ember had exploded out of control, killing several people. Shame stabbed through him like an icy knife. He had been acting incredibly stupidly today in pursuit of the win, and forgotten the sheer power of his fire. He could have caused the whole stadium to go up in flames, just for a tournament, and killed even his own master.

The inferno on the battle-field died as Shai's will to battle evaporated, and at that moment, just when he was taking a closer look at his master to show he was back in control, Mira burst from the ground, hurtled upwards and slammed her tail across Shai's face with all of her strength. Falling back to the ground with a pathetic thump, she could barely stay conscious as she watched Charizard stagger around. She was burning all over, hurting more than she could ever remember, but through force of will she kept her eyes open, even as the blackness threatened to descend over her. Shai stumbled backwards, his head ringing after the critical blow. He hadn't been defending himself, and his foe had taken advantage of his incapacitation to strike back. Clever. A tactic worthy of him. But he wouldn't be felled so easily... He would fight back, and win for his master... he would... With a great shudder, Shai collapsed forwards, the exertion of the battle hitting him like a hammer and dragging him into unconsciousness.

"Charizard is unable to battle. Eevee is the winner! This match and this tournament goes to Ariana Ada!" the judge announced as Charizard didn't stir, and for a moment the stadium was silent, before erupting in cheers.

"Miracle! You did it!" Ariana said breathlessly, running over to her Eevee's side. "Don't worry, you'll be fine in no time, I promise!" She helped Miracle onto a stretcher as the stadium apothecaries noted her condition and provided medical help, and she let out a long breath. She, Ariana Ada, had won the tournament! She shouldn't be shocked, of course, but deep inside she was. Jason had been a formidable battler, but in the end his and Shai's lack of communication had backfired. She felt someone lift her arm into the air, and turned to see her brother Artemis standing there, waving to the crowd and making her do the same.

"Ana, you and Miracle were fantastic! You're the best battlers I know," Artemis said sincerely as Castform squeaked his agreement. "Where's Miracle? Will she be alright? Going into that boiling earth would have really hurt her..."

"Don't worry, she's being treated right now," Ariana replied, her mouth dry. "I'm sure she'll be fine. We winners always pull through," Jason crouched beside Shai, his breath taken away. He should never, ever have sanctioned use of Fire attacks. He knew from the look in his Pokemon's eyes after the Fire Spin that their communication had broken down, and it was pointless to try and repair it. Shai was just overwhelmed by his own power. And he himself had hardly been any use, cowering away from that Blast Burn like a baby instead of ordering Shai to look out for Eevee's next attack. He was disappointed in himself more than Shai. Shai had been going all out for the win, whilst his own fear had held the Fire Pokemon back, as it had done over their entire career. Shai grunted as his eye flicked open to see Jason couched there.

"Shai, you battled hard. It was my fault you lost control; if I were a better master..." Shai snarled and got to his feet painfully, shaking his head. "But... all of this time, I've held you back. That's what caused us to lose today," Shai shook his head again, as if to say he was completely wrong. "You're right. We've got to move on. We lost, and that's that. Friends?" Shai roared loudly in affirmation, flapping his wings and following his master over to Ariana and her brother. "Well done. You battled well," he said, and Shai nodded grimly beside him.

"Thanks. You were both great yourselves," Ariana said shyly. "Er... I've just got to accept the trophy," Jason looked around to see the gathered officials, holding the winner's cup to present to Ariana. He smiled.

"You deserve it. If you ever need someone to fight alongside you – not that you need it – then I'll be there. For a fee," he added with a twisted smile.

"I'll keep you in mind," Ariana joked, and staggered over to the presentation group.

"Ariana Ada, you are the winner of this tournament. Congratulations," a suited man said, handing her the silver trophy, and she raised it above her head, releasing all of her Pokemon to join in the celebration. Freya immediately leapt up to her shoulder, holding her flower in her mouth and waving her tail like a victory flag.

"Well done Ariana!" Yuuki called from the sidelines. "See? I knew she was strong, to be able to beat me,"

"Jason just got unlucky," Ari pouted. "If Charizard hadn't got distracted at the end, it would have been all over,"

"Oh, come on! Ariana was clearly the better Trainer. Her Pokemon are all small and unevolved, and they still pulled through!" Alessandra piped up, Markus nodding fervently beside her.

"But Jason had a clear edge in terms of coolness. That Charizard's amazing," Kurogasa admitted. "I'm disappointed I never got to face it,"

"Great work, Ariana!" Corey cheered, ignoring the squabbling others as best he could. "I knew you had it in you!"

"Humph! Some tournament this turned out to be. It was all down to luck, if you ask me," Olivia Rowan sulked, scratching the head of the nearby Fangs the Manectric absent-mindedly as the Electric Pokemon growled happily.

**Congratulations Ariana Ada (Kris 77) and commiserations Jason 'Jay' Brown (CyberWolf101)! I hope everyone enjoyed the tournament and liked how I handled your beloved characters. If you're kind enough to review, I'd appreciate a couple of things on top of any comments you'd like to give:**

**Your favourite battle (as specific as possible, i.e. Staraptor vs Azumarill instead of Ariana vs Corey, for example). This way I get to see which battles were best, and how I can improve by using them as a template.**

**Are you happy with how I portrayed your OC? Why/why not?**

**Did the tournament work well as a whole as well as individual battles?**

**That's pretty much it. Thanks for your patience and comments whilst reading the story. For fun, I've created some awards to give out to everyone who submitted an OC.**

**Fennikusumaru wins the Wooden Spoon, for being the first OC out of the tournament.**

**CyberWolf101 wins the Constructive Criticism Award, for making me re-write a battle that shouldn't have been posted.**

**Legendary Fairy wins the Extremespeed Award for submitting her OC first.**

**Serpent's Ballet wins the Anticipation Award, as I always looked forward to reading your useful and in-depth reviews.**

**Kris 77 of course wins the all-important Tournament Trophy, as well as being one of the politest reviewers I've ever had.**

**Yuukifan001 wins the Lightning Award for submitting my favourite Pokemon in the story, Fangs the Manectric.**

**Kairi Avalon wins the OC Award for submitting my favourite OC. I guess I have a thing about tomboys.**

**Spartan20 wins the Variety Award for submitting an OC with no fewer than ten Pokemon, even if one of them was Kangaskhan.**

**An Honourable Mention goes to Ken White's Coin Flipping Page for deciding each match. Any complaints about losing, forward them to him. I'm sure he'd appreciate it.**


End file.
